


DomestiCorp

by DouglasAmongUs



Series: The Adventures of El Mayarah Danvers-Luthor [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Family Feels, Fluff, Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor in Love, kara and lena are the best parents ever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:46:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 84,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22458967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DouglasAmongUs/pseuds/DouglasAmongUs
Summary: After the amazing success of "Last Daughter", I, of course, had to keep the story going.Here's where I'll post all the one-shots and fluff pieces between major chapters, (which, yes, there will be more).I am open to prompts and suggestions, and, as always, thanks for the comments and kudos.Where better to start than with the debut of our favorite daughter.Behold, El Mayarah is welcomed to the world!
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Series: The Adventures of El Mayarah Danvers-Luthor [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1616065
Comments: 494
Kudos: 461





	1. Birth

It had been 9 months, give or take, since inception, 10 months since they harvested the gametes, and nearly 12 months since Lena had sold Kara on the idea to begin with. There had been some close calls, some interesting moments, lots of tests, lots of foot rubs, but all had gotten here, where, in less than a week, a brand new edition to the Super Friends would be born. The anticipation was palpable, from none more than the mother herself.

Lena stood in the Hub of the DEO, baby bump very much visible because, well, where else was she going to put it? National City had been quiet the past few days, which was just fine as its main defender was currently off-world. NASA, thanks to a generous cooperation effort from L-Corp, was in the midst of setting up its first long-term research station at Lagrange point 1, and, thanks to the efforts of the Department of Extranormal Operations, they had been loaned one superpowered addition to their construction crew. Some might say it was bad luck, this close to the birth and all, but science waits for no one. The project had been a personal effort by the L-Corp CEO herself and having her wife help make sure it got completed on time just felt right.

That, and the impending birth itself, meant Lena was putting as much work in as she could these days before maternity leave gave her a much, much needed respite, and not having Kara at home was, doubtless, also taking it’s toll. As her assistant, and some dedicated employees, had staged a mini-coup to make sure their boss was not allowed anywhere near her office, Lena found herself set up most days in the Hub, because the penthouse, while it would soon be more full than ever before, was just a little too empty right now.

Not an unwelcome figure, Lena’s presence did have a good portion of the DEO staff on edge. Despite her assurances that she was not going to pop any second, (even though it certainly looked like she might), more than a few people were making regular stops by to make sure the expectant mother was ‘all right’. One high-ranking person in particular.

“Lena, I know it’s silly for me to suggest,” Alex said after a while approaching Lena as she stood at the Hub’s central dais. The glare the dark-haired woman gave sent a chill down even the director’s back. “Scratch that, I know it’s suicidal for me to suggest you go home, but could I at least convince you to sit down?”

Lena glared for half a second before she sighed. “I can’t sit down.” She turned back to her tablet

“I can get you a chair,” Alex suggested. “I’ll have an agent drag in the really comfy one from the break room.”

“It’s not the chair that’s the issue,” Lena retorted. She put a hand to her back and winced. “My back has been killing me. My back and my hips, and sitting makes it worse. The only moderately comfortable position is standing.”

“I’m not sure your feet would agree.”

“Well, they do not protest as loud as my back, so we’re prioritizing.” The woman went back to her screen, fiddling with numbers but clearly just trying to do something to distract herself.

Alex stepped up by her side and ran a hand over her shoulder blades. The dark-haired woman let out a breath, gave up any semblance of posture, and leaned fully over the table.

“You’re a super woman, you know that?” Said the DEO director.

“No,” moaned Lena, her forehead resting on her arms. “I’m just married to her.”

“I know it must be tough with Kara out-of-town,” Alex said. She made a motion towards the ceiling. “I mean it’s space, but-“

Lena shook her head, rising to stand upright again. “It’s not that,” she said as she braced her hands against her spine. “I told her to go. It’s just…” She sighed and turned to her sister-in-law. “Can I admit something to you?”

Alex smirked. “Of course.”  
Lena waved a hand over her prominent belly. “I am very ready to not be pregnant.”

Alex laughed. 

“Don’t get me wrong,” Lena quickly added. “Miracle of life, and I know I am going to love her so much I won’t know what to do with myself, but I am DONE.” She placed both hands on her stomach and seemed to be encompassing the whole nine-month ordeal and all it entailed “With all of this.”

“I think I can understand that.”

“I doubt it,” Lena replied. “But I appreciate the empathy.” She went back to leaning bodily over the table. She looked like she might just lay out completely on top of it.

“Well, you’re inducing in 4 days, right?” Alex said. “That’s not too long.”

Lena only groaned in reply. Alex patted her back again. At a sound, the DEO director turned to see a figure standing not too far behind her. She smiled at the sight.

“Just who I wanted to see,” Alex said.

Lena lifted her head to look past the woman, catching sight of her wife, Kelly Olson. 

“Thought I’d check in,” she said as she stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Alex. “How’s our patient?”

Lena answered the question with a long groan.

“That good, huh?” The psychologist asked with a laugh.

Lena lifted her head slightly. “You know, I realize I was very much spearheading this little science experiment, but now I’m starting to think you two had the better idea.”

“Adoption has its own set of hassles,” answered Kelly honestly.

Lena groaned in reply. She looked behind the black woman briefly. “Where is that bundle of joy, anyway?”

“Eliza’s got her,” said Kelly. 

Lena sighed. “That’s too bad. I could really use some Astrid time right now. The surge of maternal hormones might just be enough to carry me through to the end of this.”

Alex laughed. She kissed her wife on the cheek. “I got to check on some things. You mind keeping her company?”

Kelly nodded. “Absolutely.”

Alex planted a kiss on her wife’s lips this time before slipping out. Kelly turned, sidled up to Lena’s side, and mirrored her lean over the table. Lena groaned. Kelly wrapped an arm around her.

“Danvers women, huh?” She said, locking eyes with the pregnant lady. “There’s not a lot we won’t do for them.”

Lena smiled weakly. It faded, and she laid her forehead against the table. “Kelly, can I get you to play therapist for five minutes?” She asked. Her head popped up. “On a strictly off-the-books basis, of course.”

Kelly smiled and folded her hands in front of her. “Thank you for coming in today, Ms. Luthor. What seems to be the problem?”

“When this baby comes out,” Lena sighed. “I’m not going to be able to treat her like a science experiment.”

Kelly raised an eyebrow.

“Not that I want to or have any intention of ever doing so, but…” Lena continued, sighing again. “Pregnancy has metrics and milestones. You can measure the whole thing, and granted there have been a lot of expected perks, like the need to pee every hour on the hour, but I knew when things we’re going right. I could time down to the minute when her toes would be fully formed.” The woman put a hand to her stomach. “When she comes out, though, it’s a whole wilderness of possibility, and I know no book or rubric of proper, childhood development is going to be able to really tell me how to do right by her.”

Kelly laid an understanding hand on the woman’s.

“I know I’m not going to be Lilian,” Lena went on. “That’s not even a possibility, but I am terrified that I’ll just find some new way to screw her up or let her down, that I won’t be enough for her.” Lena let her forehead drop to the table again. “At the same time, I know it could just be the hormones or the water weight or the screaming ache in my back and hips talking.”

Kelly squeezed the woman’s hand. “It’s not,” she said. “What you’re feeling is totally normal. It’s perfectly natural to feel inadequate stepping into a new phase of your life, and this is a really big step.”

Lena groaned at the reminder.

“Granted my mom was probably way better than yours,” the psychologist added. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Lena assured her.

“But I lost my dad when I was young,” Kelly continued. “I always wondered if I was missing something, something important that I would need when I had kids.” Kelly chuckled dryly. “Then it turns out I was gay, and a man would not be involved in the raising of my children. So, you know…” She shrugged. “But I wasn’t sure either. I’m still not sure. Alex and I thought we’d be getting a baby, next thing we know, boom, there’s a two-year-old in our home, and she already can walk and talk and she has her own opinions and someone else already tried to screw her up. We did not feel ready for that.” She wrapped her arm around Lena. “But we did it anyway, because that’s what you do. You take the chance. You go on the adventure, and it’s wild and scary but wonderful, and it doesn’t matter that you don’t feel ready, because you never do, but, Lena, you are so good. You and Kara have so much love between the two of you, and that’s what really matters. As long as you have that, whatever life throws at you, or this baby, you’re going to be ready for it.”

Lena smiled and hugged the woman back. They parted, and Kelly rubbed her back.

“Astrid’s very lucky,” the dark-haired woman said. “I hope you know that.”

“We all are,” said Kelly. “Now,” she added with a smile. “You look like you could use a drink.” She quickly held a finger for clarification, “Of the herbal tea variety.”

Lena began to nod, then stopped. A sudden look passed over her face.

“Lena?” Kelly asked, worried.

“The tea might have to wait,” Lena replied slowly.

“Why?”

“Because I’m pretty sure my water just broke.”

There are some things life simply cannot prepare you for. You can understand them, but when they finally show up, they are so unexpected that your brain kind of shuts down. That’s probably the reason that Kelly Olson, medical professional that she was, could only reply to this, “Which water?”

Lena fixed her with a gaze, then looked down. Kelly followed her to the puddle forming between the woman’s feet. She stared.

“Oh, that water,” she said calmly. Then it hit her. “Oh, that water!”

Lena began to breathe very hard. Kelly joined her.

“Okay,” the battle-tested, former soldier replied. “Okay, we know what to do.” She turned to the room and yelled, “Alex!”

A random DEO agent appeared. Kelly could only point wildly at them.

“Get Director Danvers right now!”

The agent nodded, seeming to guess the issue when they glanced at the obviously pregnant woman. They darted off. A few moments later, Alex strode in. 

“What’s going on?” She asked before catching sight of her sister-in-law, clutching Kelly by the elbows, and breathing rhythmically. “Oh. OH!” She rushed to Lena’s side. “How are you feeling?” She asked.

Lena glared.

“Stupid question, got it,” the director replied. She grabbed her headset. “I need a gurney in the HUB right now!” She turned back to Lena. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“I need to get to the hospital,” Lena said.

“We should measure your contractions,” Kelly suggested. “Some facilities won’t admit you until they’re less than 5 minutes apart.”

“I paid for their new pediatric wing,” Lena replied. “They will admit me!”

“Lena,” Alex soothed, or tried to. “It’s going to be okay.”

Alex and Kelly held the deeply breathing, slightly panicking woman between them. A pair of technicians rolled a gurney in. They helped the expectant mother up onto it.

“Simkins,” Alex ordered to a nearby agent. “Get the station on the line. Tell them I need to speak with Supergirl now. It’s an emergency.” She spun to another. “Call Ms. Luthor’s car service. We’ll need a pickup. Tell them their client will happily cover the cost of replacing any of the upholstery.”

The agents nodded. The HUB went into action mode. Granted it was usually an alien invasion they were thwarting, so dthe takes were somewhat less high, but everyone still looked incredibly invested in the outcome. An agent turned back to Alex a minute later.

“Director,” they said. “There’s a problem with the car service. They say they can’t get here any time soon. Downtown is socked in. Traffic is at a stand still.”

“Damn,” Alex said. She vaguely remembered a parade scheduled for today, along with a number of minor traffic incidents, all of which were spelling no ground transport for National City. “All right,” she said to the technicians. “Let’s move her down to the medbay.”

Lena reached up and suddenly gripped her fingers in Alex’s uniform. She yanked the director down towards her.

“Alex, I love you, and I know you will keep me and this child safe, but there is something I absolutely need to make clear to you, right now,” she hissed.

“What is it?” Alex asked.

“I am not having my baby in the DEO!” She screamed.

“Lena,” Alex replied. The woman’s grip tightened. “We’re just going to keep you there until we secure some transport. I promise.” The woman glared harder. Her hand did not move. “Lena, I need you to let go of me so I can do that.”

With some assistance from Kelly, they managed to pry Lena’s fingers from Alex’s collar. They wheeled the woman down to the medical bay where Alex quickly got to taking some basic readings.

“All right, everything looks good,” she said after checking the screens a third time. “Let us know when you start having contractions.”

Lena nodded. She had calmed down, somewhat, from the initial panic. “Sorry about earlier,” she said, motioning to the uniform-gripping incident.

“It’s okay,” Alex said with a smile.

“Alex?” Lena asked.

The woman turned to her sister-in-law with love. “Yes, Lena?”

“If you make me give birth in this building, I will kill you,” the woman said, deadpan and utterly serious.

“Yeah,” Alex replied. “I know.” She turned to her wife. “Watch her, please.”

Kelly nodded as the director dashed out of the room. She stepped to Lena’s side and took her hand gently.

“You know what we were talking about earlier?” Lena asked.

“Yeah?”

Lena sighed. “I might be freaking out a little bit more.”

“Yeah, I noticed.”

Kelly held the woman’s hand while she breathed. A few minutes later, an exuberant Coluan stepped into the room.

“I understand fetal expulsion has begun!” Querl exclaimed. “Or has labor not fully commenced? Are we still in latent phase? How far apart are the uterine contractions?”

“No contractions yet, Brainy,” Kelly replied. “Speaking of which,” she added, turning to Lena. “I know some people at the hospital. I’m going to call and see how close your contractions have to be before they’ll admit you.”

Lena nodded. Kelly turned to Querl.

“Stay with her, please?” She asked.

“Gladly,” Brainy replied. He stepped to the bedside as Kelly jogged out of the medbay. “I understand this a highly stressful situation, Lena.”

She nodded.

“As such, though I feel compelled to mention the complication rates of childbirth, I will refrain from doing so.”

“I appreciate that,” Lena said after a deep breath.

“I will admit, I am fascinated by the process,” Querl continued. “Fetal maturation and delivery, of course, were quite different on Colu, and though I have studied the process among humans extensively, I feel I am not fully prepared for the ‘joy’ of the occasion. I am happy to be here for you. Furthermore-“

“Brainy?” Lena asked.

“Yes, Lena.”

She raised her hand. “Shut up and hold my hand, please.”

“Gladly,” the Coluan replied, taking the woman’s hand and holding it between his own. They waited in silence for a minute. “I am curious. How will you know when you’ve had a contraction?”

When Kelly walked back into the medbay, some time later, it was to the sight of Lena, sitting almost fully upright in the bed, her face contracted in pain, and Brainy beside her, practically kneeling on the ground as he clutched at his hand currently locked in a death grip by Lena’s.

“Her grip is quite strong,” Querl commented through gritted teeth.

Soon, Lena let out an explosive breath and collapsed back onto the bed. Kelly rushed to her side and asked the obvious question.

“Contraction?”

Lena nodded, trying to regain her breath.

“How far apart?” 

“8 minutes, 39 seconds,” Brainy answered while massaging his bruised hand.

Kelly nodded. She stroked a hand gently over Lena’s head. “I talked to the hospital.”

“Will they admit me?” Lena asked.

“Yes, but…”

Lena understood. “But we have to get there. Can they send the medivac chopper?”

Kelly grimaced. “That’s the problem,” she said. “I asked. The hospital will admit you now, but they won’t send a medivac until your contractions are less than 5 minutes apart.”

“WHAT?” Lena shouted. She threw her head back against the pillow. She breathed. “All right, call my private helicopter. I have the damn thing for a reason.”

Kelly grimaced again. Lena glared.

“What?” She asked.

“Alex already checked,” the woman replied. “There’s a high wind advisory. Civilian air traffic has been grounded within the city limits.”

“Are you freaking kidding me?” Lena yelled.

“Well, I heard that from down the hallway,” Alex said as she stepped into the room, taking position at Lena’s feet. “I guess Kelly brought you up to speed.”

Lena nodded, letting her head flop against the pillow again. “I’m not having this baby here, Alex.”

“Hey,” the red-haired woman tried. “It’s not like you’re in a barn. You have several medical professionals available.”

Lena glared back. “You’re a bio-engineer. Kelly’s a psychologist. Querl is a living computer. None of you are obstetricians!” She groaned. “Those quack doctors at the hospital have no idea what they’re doing.” She pointed at her belly. “This is a half-Kryptonian baby. We cannot be sure how labor will go”

“Lena, they don’t know that,” Kelly said.

“If you are concerned how a hybrid birth may proceed,” suggested Querl. “Perhaps then the DEO facilities would be more appropriate, as they are better equipped to handle extraterrestrial complications.”

Lena fixed him with such a fiery stare that the Coluan practically jumped back and clutched his hand.

“I promise you,” the DEO director said soothingly. “We will figure something out and get you to the hospital.”

Lena sighed. “You know the irony, of course.”

Alex nodded. “If Kara were here, she could just fly you there.”

Lena sighed again. “At least she’s on her way, right?”

There was a notable lack of reply from Alex. Kelly quickly looked over at her, as did Querl. Lena, meanwhile, stared pointedly at the ceiling.

“I’m going to ask that question again,” she said, with an eerie, foreboding calm. “And your response had better be, ‘Absolutely, Lena, she’ll be here in no time.’” The woman waited for a full minute in silence. “Alex?”

“We’re having trouble reaching the station.”

Lena’s head popped up. Alex’s hands went up defensively.

“There’s solar flare activity that’s creating serious interference,” she said. “We’re trying to cut through. It’s entirely possible the message is getting there, but there’s no way for the station to respond and confirm that. Not yet, at least.”

Lena’s face dropped. Kelly held her hand.

“Hey,” Alex said, holding onto Lena’s feet. “Even if she did get it, they’re in deep orbit, so it’ll be a couple of hours before Kara could get here, even at top speed. For right now, just focus on staying calm.”

Lena put a hand to her face. “Alex, she can’t miss this. You know she can’t.”

Alex crossed over to the other side of the bed. “I know. But I know my baby sister, too, and there’s no way she’s missing her child’s birth.” She held Lena’s free hand. “She’ll be here, I know it.”

Lena nodded and tried to breathe. A second later, she was bent forward and both women at her sides were holding their hands in pain.

“8 minutes, 12 seconds,” Querl said. “Good news. The contractions are getting closer.”

* * *

The next few hours were tense but quiet, save for the occasional grunt of pain from Lena. The contractions were slowly, but surely, growing nearer. No word, though, from Supergirl or the station. 

National City continued to be plagued by minor, though terribly inconvenient, metropolitan issues. It seemed, with Supergirl out-of-town, all the little things that she might have been able to assist with decided to happen on the same day. Traffic was at such a stand still for so long the major problem now was the number of abandoned cars that had to be towed out of downtown, and high winds continued to make civilian air transport inadvisable.

Finally, late into the night, Lena’s contractions were close enough to call medivac. Only Lena was suddenly unwilling to leave.

“Alex,” she said, clutching at the woman. “I can’t. Not without Kara. I need her.”

“Lena, it’s going to be okay,” the DEO director soothed. “She’ll be here. We have to make sure you and the baby are ready, okay?”

Lena clutched tighter but nodded nonetheless. Alex signaled to some technicians. They began rolling the gurney towards the elevator, Alex still glued to the bedside. Kelly trotted up beside them.

“Good news,” she said, holding up her phone. “Eliza found a very dedicated cab driver. Apparently, she told him her grandchild was being born, and the man broke several traffic laws to get her to her destination, so she and Astrid are already at the hospital. James and J’onn are on their way, too, and Nia is right behind them.”

Lena nodded, smiling weakly. Kelly rubbed her arm.

“We’re all here,” she whispered.

Lena nodded, but her face belied her belief. Not all of them.

* * *

The chopper flight was ironically short, and Lena was soon situated in a state-of-the-art, (thanks to a generation grant by L-Corp), birthing suite. The gang was indeed all there. Eliza handed a sleepy Astrid off to Kelly before turning immediately to her daughter-in-law’s side. Lena gripped her hand tightly while the woman spoke soothing wisdom to her.

It looked to be a long labor. Lena was dilating slowly, and the baby hadn’t turned completely yet. Everything still looked okay, but they were in for a night, and probably most of the next day. 

And still no Supergirl.

Everyone took shifts staying with Lena, talking with her, swapping stories and jokes, holding her hand through contractions, and just generally trying to distract her from the situation. While, in the waiting room, everyone took turns catching sleep, running for coffee, or watching over Astrid, who seemed somewhat anxious about the situation, not entirely sure what was going on.

Later, the next day, it became clear that labor was going to happen now or it wasn’t going to happen at all. Eliza took her daughter-in-law by the hand.

“It’s going to be fine,” she said. “You’re strong, you know that?”

Lena nodded, sweat pooling at her forehead. “Did you have this much issue with Alex?”

“Oh, more,” Eliza said. “It felt like was yoyo-ing her for a while there. That girl did not want to come out.”

They chuckled dryly at the irony, while the woman in question watched from the other end of the room. Alex consoled herself with the thought that this was going to be okay. Her future niece was going to be born happy and healthy to two of the most loving parents you could ask for. And whether Kara was here to see it herself or not didn’t matter as much as that.

But she knew, deep down, that Kara needed to be here. Lena needed her to be, but, more than that, Kara needed herself to be. This was her flesh and blood. This child was half-Kryptonian. The Last Daughter of Krypton was about to have a daughter of her own, and she deserved to see that. She deserved to hold her wife’s hand while it happened.

Alex’s phone suddenly beeped. Her hand flew to her pocket. Everyone knew where she was, and she had told the DEO that nothing short of an apocalypse constituted an emergency right now, so that meant this must be important. It might be very, very important. She slipped out of the room as she pulled her phone out.

“Danvers,” she said.

“Director, it’s Agent Simkins,” came the reply.

“Any word from Supergirl?”

“No, ma’am,” the agent answered with disappointment.

Alex sighed in frustration. “Then why the call? I said I wasn’t to be disturbed.”

“Well, ma’am, NORAD just contacted us,” the agent said. “They spotted an object entering our atmosphere at incredible speed.”

“How incredible?”

“Mach 100,” said Simkins. “Possibly more.”

“How big?”

“Small. Maybe 2 meters.”

“Something like that should have burned up.”

“That’s why they contacted us, ma’am,” said Simkins. “It’s still intact. They only caught sight of it because it lit up the moment it hit the atmosphere.”

“Where’s it headed?” Alex asked.

“Current trajectory puts it right towards National City.”

Alex’s head popped up. Oh, sweet Rao, please say it’s true.

“Director?” Simkins said after a moment. “What would you like us to do?”

“Tell NORAD we’ll handle it.”

“I’m not sure there’s time to evacuate the city.”

“Don’t bother with that,” Alex replied. “I think I know what it is. Keep tracking it. I’ll talk to you in a bit.”

Alex put the phone away and dashed into the waiting room. Everyone was lounging about, waiting for an update. She turned to the nearest person.

“Nia,” she said hurriedly. “Kara and Lena’s hospital bag. Where is it?”

Nia quickly picked up on the woman’s tone and looked around. “Your mom brought it. Uh… Here.” She dragged a duffle out from one of the waiting room chairs. It happened to have been acting as a pillow for James. He awoke suddenly with its removal.

“What’s going on?” The man asked blearily. Nia looked to Alex, also curious.

“Good news, I hope,” the woman replied.

“Kara?” Nia said, eyes wide. “Should we tell Lena?”

“No, I’ll handle it,” Alex said then dashed away with the bag, making a beeline for the elevators.

She stepped out on the roof of the hospital, running to the center of the helicopter pad and spinning around. The sky was clear, the day waning, and the dusk growing to darkness. She pulled out her phone.

“Simkins,” she said. “Are you still tracking the object?”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s still on vector towards the city.”

“What heading?”

“Uh, south by southwest.”

Alex spun in that direction and stared at the sky. “Come on. Come on,” she said under her breath as she peered into the darkening blue-black. Stars were just beginning to emerge. She stared harder. It seemed there was one extra. And it was growing.

Alex focused on the rapidly growing light, the shooting star heading straight towards them. It neared and the light dimmed as the object slowed, draining off the massive friction it had gained by plowing into the Earth’s atmosphere at such a velocity. Soon it was close enough to make out the blurry, though recognizable shape. In another minute, it was swooping down towards the hospital, where it at last landed on the pad.

Supergirl bent forward, collapsing to her hands and knees. Not her best landing, but she had been in a hurry. The woman was wrapped in the remains of a spacesuit covered in soot, blackened and charred by her rapid re-entry. She looked up blearily for a second, until she caught sight of her sister.

“Alex?” She asked.

“Oh, thank God,” the woman replied, stepping to wrap her arms around Kara, then jumping quickly back. The woman was still hot “You sure took your time.”

“I’m sorry,” Kara breathed as she removed the helmet, blonde curls falling out of the remains of a working bun. “We only got the message a few hours ago. The station wanted me to wait until the solar storm had died down, but I just had to be here.”

“I know,” Alex said as she helped the woman to her feet. She shoved the bag into her arms. “Good news is you’re not too late, but you’ve got to change as you go.”

Kara stared down at the bag like that was the last thing she cared about right now. Alex answered by unzipping and pulling out a change of clothes.

“Come on,” she repeated. “You can swap the costume in the elevator.”

The Danvers women emerged onto the floor, Kara wiping her hair with a towel also procured from the bag. They jogged down the hallway, stepping into the waiting area. Everyone quickly rose at the sight of the blonde woman.

“Kara!” They shouted, practically in unison.

“Hi!” She replied with a grin. Alex tapped her on the shoulder. She pointed towards the delivery room. Kara turned. “Oh,” she said. “Bye,” she added to the room before dashing into the birthing suite.

Lena and Eliza’s heads both snapped up as the door was flung open. One look at the woman standing in it, and the dark-haired mother-to-be burst into tears. She clutched at Kara as she rushed to her side.

“I’m here,” Kara said. “I’m here. I wouldn’t have missed it.”

Lena grabbed at the woman’s clothes, until she found purchase enough to drag her down to plant a kiss on her lips.

“Kara,” Lena wheezed when they finally parted. “I need you. I’m so scared.”

“I’ve got you, Lena,” her wife replied. “I’ve got you, and you are so strong.”

After that, there was a lot of pushing. Labor lasted for a few more hours. Kara held Lena’s hand tightly as she bore down, applying cold cloths and ice to her forehead. Finally, the woman gave up and shot cold breath at her own hand, covering it in a blanket of frost before touching it to Lena’s brow. 

Soon enough, though, with one final effort, Lena felt her whole body give. She flopped down, boneless, to the bed. There was a sound and then crying. After a moment, the doctor held up a bundle of cloth with a wrinkly, pink face sticking out. 

Kara held her daughter with wide-eyed astonishment. She turned and settled her down in Lena’s arms. The dark-haired woman was exhausted but still held the girl tightly, planting a kiss to her brow.

“Look at you,” she said with a smile, tears in her eyes. 

“Lena,” was all Kara could say.

“I know, Kara,” her wife replied, reaching out a hand to find hers. “Look at her.”

Kara cried too, overcome. They both were. “We made that.”

“Yeah, we did,” Lena laughed. She looked up at her love. “I’ve been thinking about the name.”

Kara met her eyes. “Did you change your mind?”

Lena shook her head. “No, I was just thinking how perfect it is.”

“Yeah,” Kara said with a grin. She kissed her wife. “We’re geniuses.” They turned back to their little girl. “Hello, little one.”

Friends and family waited with bated breath in the room outside. Soon, Kara emerged, a bundle of literal joy in her arms. She turned to the astonished faces of nearly everyone she loved in the world.

“Everybody,” she said. “I would like you to meet El Mayarah Danvers-Luthor.”

They crowded around quickly, all tears and smiles. “Kara, she’s beautiful,” Nia cried out. The first person, besides her mothers, that got to hold the child was Alex, who was practically shaking. When she took El in her arms, Kelly right beside her, just as much in tears, the baby gave a little squirm and a sleepy, toothless smile. She was passed, then, to Eliza, who gasped and sighed. The girl made her way around the group from there. Finally, Kelly guided a still somewhat confused Astrid over as her mother, Alex, knelt down with the bundle in her arms.

“Hey, baby,” the woman said. “I want you to meet your cousin.”

The toddler stared between her mom and the wrinkly thing in her arms. “Aunnie Lela have her baby?”

“Yeah,” Kelly said. “Auntie Lena had her baby. This is El.”

Astrid stared, all eyes. “Cousin?” She asked.

“Yeah, baby,” Alex said. “You two are gonna be the best of friends, I know it.”

“I hold?” Astrid asked, pudgy arms extending towards the bundle. They sat the girl gently down on the floor and situated the baby across her lap. Astrid was surprisingly still as she stared at El. The baby gurgled, Astrid laughed, and literally everybody cried.

Soon, she was brought back into the room, where her Mom was resting comfortably. Kara set El in her arms again before climbing in the bed beside her. Lena stroked the delicate, newborn cheek.

“We did it,” she whispered.

“Yeah, we did,” Kara replied. She planted a kiss on her wife’s neck.

“She’s going to be the best of us, right?” Lena asked, cuddling her child to her chest.

“She already is,” Kara said. She stared at her daughter and sighed deeply. “We’re not ready for this, are we?”

Lena looked at her wife, then turned such that El was held between them, perfectly encased in all 4 of their hands. “We’re as ready as we could be,” Lena said. “Whatever happens we’ll do it together. All of us.”

Kara nodded and leaned over to kiss her wife. They settled down again, each simply staring at their baby, the thing they had brought to life, together.

“Welcome to the world, El Mayarah,” Lena whispered.

Welcome to the world.


	2. Siblings and Shovels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Lena have just started dating and Alex decides to deliver the 'shovel talk'.  
> Fellings ensue.

The first indication that something was off was when Lena got to the apartment.

In retrospect, the first tip off should have been when she got a text from Alex that read as follows:

_Alex - Hey, change of plans for game night. Be at my place at 6:30._

That, by itself, would not ping anyone’s radar. Lena’s appearances at Game Night had become a regular occurrence again following her and Kara’s make-up, even more so now that they were dating. Still, if the time had been moved, Lena should have expected to hear it from Kara. Alex had not exactly been unfriendly to her but, especially since her and Kara become a somewhat official item, lines of communication between the DEO Director and the L-Corp CEO had been mostly maintained through the bubbly blonde they shared an affection for. Still, when she received the text, Lena chalked it up to Kara being busy with some Supergirl work and her sister taking it upon herself to make sure her girlfriend knew when to show up. A courteous gesture.

However, that was not exactly the case, as became abundantly clear when Lena stepped into Alex’s apartment and found she was the only one there, except for Alex. The dark-haired woman stopped halfway inside the door. She distinctly recalled knocking a moment before, only to have the red-haired woman say, “Door’s open. Come on in.” Naturally, she had not expected to be the first here.

Lena checked her watch. 6:30, on the dot. She had considered, briefly, coming fashionably late. She knew how to handle business meetings and corporate events, but showing up to another person’s apartment for a casual, group thing still felt awkward. However, considering how Kara tended to show up fashionably early, it felt unnecessary and not a little undesirable, especially if it left Kara without her for any amount of item, or Lena without Kara for that matter. It made it worth it enough to extend her time around Alex, because, while nothing had become impolite between them, Lena couldn’t help but feel they were still in that tense phase of ‘I just started dating your sister. This is weird.’

So, to put it shortly, it felt very, very odd that Lena was in Alex’s apartment all by herself.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she stepped fully through the door. Her eyes found Alex standing at her kitchen island, busy setting out the mixers for drinks. “I thought everyone was supposed to show up at 6:30.”

“No,” the red-haired woman replied coolly. “Everyone is showing up at 7.” She fixed the dark-haired woman with a very pointed and serious gaze. “I told you to show up at 6:30.”

Lena nearly took a step back. Alex Danvers didn’t become the Director of the DEO because she didn’t know how to look tough, and she was flexing a good bit of the intimidation muscles now.

“I see,” Lena said with understanding as she let the door close behind her.

She should not have been surprised. Again, the initial text should have been a dead giveaway, especially with the, now, obvious wording, in which Lena could see it was never indicated that anyone else would be here early. And, truthfully, she had been expecting this. Her and Alex were due for this very conversation. Still, somehow, she hadn’t really seen it coming.

Alex set out the last of the drinks. She wiped her hands and indicated a chair sitting by the table. Lena half-expected a single light shining over head. This was an interrogation, after all.

“I thought the two of us could have a chat,” Director Danvers said.

Lena dutifully took her position in the hot seat. Alex stepped around the bar and leaned against it with a practiced look of cool, and controlled, power. For her part, the dark-haired woman tried to look humble but not cowed. She was a Luthor, after all.

“So, you and my sister are getting pretty serious,” Alex said after a long moment to stare the woman down.

“That we are,” Lena replied. 

A look of annoyance momentarily passed over Alex’s face. Clearly, this wasn’t meant to be a dialogue. At least, not yet.

“As such, I thought it would benefit us both if we discussed some ground rules,” Alex added after a second to collect herself.

Lena stared back at the woman. She had nothing but affection for Alex Danvers. The woman had her rough spots, just like anyone, but always managed to be a thoughtful, composed individual. If she wasn’t an extremely important person in Kara’s life, Lena would have liked to think they still might be acquaintances. They were both strong, capable women operating in a world still saturated by toxic masculinity, not to mention presumed heterosexuality. There was everything in Lena to let this whole thing run its course, to allow Alex to deliver her, obviously, prepared speech, say her own, required, lines, and then part amicably if with not a little awkwardness when everyone else showed up and they were forced to act like this hadn’t just happened, especially around Kara. Yet, at the same time, the were both strong, capable women, and Lena felt that they needn’t stand on ceremony and could be honest with each other.

“So this is the shovel talk, is it?” She asked.

Alex’s mouth stopped halfway to her next line. It snapped shut with another look of annoyance.

“I’m not sure what the exact term is,” Lena went on. “But that’s what Kara used.” She motioned between the two of them. “The speech where you make it clear if I ever bring your sister to any serious physical or emotional harm, you will exact possibly violent but very much justified revenge.”

“Kara told you?”

“She mentioned that it _might_ happen,” Lena replied. “Humorously. Well, she was laughing, in that way she does when you know she’s actually very, very nervous.”

Alex nodded. She most certainly was familiar with that. She pushed off the bar and stepped towards Lena.

“All right,” she admitted. “You know what this is, so I’ll forgo any of the rigamarole. Kara is important to me.”

“She’s important to me, too.”

Alex held up a finger. The annoyance flickered again. “She’s my sister,” the woman clarified. “I’ve known her longer than you have. Whatever happens between the two of you, we will still be sisters.”

Lena nodded her understanding.

“And, although she is the girl of steel, I do feel pretty protective of her.”

“I’ve always admired that about you, Alex.”

The annoyance flickered once more, but there was a surprised tint to it. “Anyways,” Alex soldiered on. She seemed to collect her thoughts for a moment, or try to, then decided there wasn’t much point in beating around the bush. “You hurt my sister, I hurt you. It’s as simple as that. You know me, you know what I’m capable of, and I’m a controlled person, but that stops where Kara is concerned.”

Lena nodded again. “We have that in common.”

Alex was quick to shake her head. “Look, I know things have been weird… Okay, bad, between us these last couple of years. Lots of hurt, and we’ve moved past it, but I still feel the need to point out that you are someone with the capability to do great harm to her. I’m not saying you will. I’m not saying I even expect you to, but you can. And, no matter how I feel about you, that makes me nervous.” Alex took a long slow exhale. “Kara likes you, a lot. More than maybe anyone she has ever dated. And, granted, she is someone who can and has fallen in love with a jack-o-lantern, but it still takes a lot of time for her to let people that close. I don’t know if she’s ever let someone this close, and this is all further complicated by the fact that you are her first _girl_ friend. And as someone who has personal experience with that, I’ll admit, I’m a bit driven to make sure it turns out okay for her.”

Lena nodded once more. You couldn’t deny the woman’s passion. The dark-haired CEO had yet to find a point she disagreed with.

“So, that’s all I wanted to say,” Alex said. “Just a friendly warning.”

“I appreciate that,” Lena replied. “Thank you for being so candid.”

“You seem rather calm, if you don’t mind my saying,” Alex commented. “I take it this isn’t you’re first talk.”

“On the contrary,” Lena said. “It is.”

Alex had to raise an eyebrow to that. Lena could only shrug.

“I haven’t had a plethora of lengthy, or even stable, romantic relationships,” said the dark-haired woman. “Those that were did not involve people who had anyone to give the talk to me. That’s why I’m so appreciative of you, Alex, why I’m so glad Kara has you, and one of the many, many reasons why I am so glad I have your sister.”

It was Alex’s turn to nod. “You really are in love with her, huh?”

“More than that. I love her.”

The red-haired woman paused. She stepped back to lean against the island. “I didn’t realize you two were that serious.”

“We are,” Lena said. “We haven’t exactly said it to each other yet, but it’s there. On my end, at least, and I have no doubt on Kara’s. I don’t think we’re far off from saying it out loud.” The Luthor woman fixed the DEO Director with a serious stare in order to convey the gravity of the next part. “I hope you can understand that nothing you’ve said is something I haven’t said to myself. I care very deeply for Kara and would never, ever do anything to intentionally harm her. I understand where you’re coming from. Our past almost makes it hard for me to let myself love your sister as much as I do. People in relationships are often scared of being hurt. I am so scared of hurting someone else, of hurting her. At the same time, I have no intention of letting that fear stop me. I love Kara. She makes me better, and, I would like to think, I do a little bit the same for her. I have never had with anyone what I have with her, and I have no intention of jeopardizing that to any degree.”

Lena took a deep breath. She was surprised at her own candor. It was all the truth, of course, but having it out there, saying it out loud after only repeating it quietly in her head, was a different thing. She knew she was making a promise, a contract not just between her and Alex but her and the woman she aspired to be.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is” she finally added. “I know that if I ever hurt Kara you will do terrible things to me, and I hope you know that if, God forbid, that should ever happen, I would let you.”

The women exchanged a long and pointed stared. Understanding, deep and honest, passed between them. Finally, Alex nodded.

“All right,” she said.

“All right,” Lena replied.

Alex breathed. Her shoulders dropped ever so slightly as her whole body relaxed for what seemed like a minutes’ long tense. “I don’t know about you,” she commented. “But I could use a drink.”

Lena smiled.

Some minutes later, Kara stepped quickly through the door of the apartment, grocery bags of snacks in each arm and very much early. She was partway through an energetic explanation of all she had gotten for the party when she came to an abrupt stop as she spied her sister and her girlfriend standing in Alex’s kitchen, looking for all intents and purposes as if they were old friends. Naturally, Kara was immediately suspicious.

“Kara!” Lena exclaimed with a smile. “You’re here.”

“Uh, yeah,” the blonde replied in worried tones. “You’re early.”

The dark-haired woman exchanged the briefest of glances with the redhead. She smiled. “Miscommunication about the time,” she said.

“Do you need help with those?” Alex asked as she pointed at the grocery bags.

“Uh, yeah,” Kara replied, distracted from her questioning for the moment. After she had unloaded her multitudinous bags onto Alex’s counter, she turned quickly and quietly in Lena’s direction. “Is everything…” she started. “Okay?”

Lena smiled again and pressed a kiss to the woman’s cheek. “Fine,” she said warmly. “I’ll tell you about it later.”


	3. This Is How We Float

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was inspired by a prompt pile Supercorp-Shipper sent me. I adapted it for extra-cuteness.
> 
> It's Kara's first day taking care of El at home alone. What's a desperate superhero to do when her baby just won't stop crying?

The five steps to calm a crying baby are swaddling, side holding, shushing, swinging, and sucking, otherwise known as the 5 S’s. Kara had tried all 5 at this point in many and various combinations. Her precious baby girl, light of her life, the most perfect creature in existence had refused all of them.

Swaddling had felt perfect. Kara could swaddle like a champ. There were times, when they were dating, when she had blanket burrito’ed Lena so well the woman literally couldn’t move. Swaddling your girlfriend however, when you are both looking for really any excuse to put your hands on each other, (not that they had never needed an excuse), and swaddling a baby were entirely different matters. Babies kick, and for someone who, as of yet, had not manifested any extraordinary abilities, El could kick hard. It was all the blonde woman could do to get the onesie on.

Side, or stomach holding, had worked, for about a second. Kara had gotten her down on the play pad, all comfy and soft, her hand positioned perfectly on the baby’s back to maintain the connection, showing her she was safe and sound. Then, next thing you know, El is screaming her head off, despite absolutely nothing having changed.

Shushing failed so miserably, Kara was starting to wonder why it was a recommended option. She cycled through a dozen or so white noise apps on her phone before she switched to the hair dryer. Now she had a fussy, slightly warmer baby.

Swinging should have worked. It was a solid idea, and Kara was very good at it. She recalled, not a day before, when she had swung El around the room, making flying noises, and the little bundle of joy had cackled with laughter. It was beautiful. Now, though, it was anything but. El would barely hold still long enough for Kara to swing her with any kind of confidence.

Sucking, also, felt like solid, infantile science. Bottles, pacifier, these were things that made sense. What didn’t was El choosing to chew the soft rubbery bits put into her mouth and then spit them out violently. Kara considered more, shall we say, natural substitutes before she remembered she didn’t lactate, nor was she sure she could, and, oh Rao, if Lena came home and caught her in that position the Kryptonian might just die of embarrassment.

And that, Kara knew, more than anything, was probably the real issue here. Mommy was gone. El had, as of yet, not played favorites, as comfortable with her mother as with her Jeju, but Kara couldn’t deny that, what with Lena carrying her for 9 months, there was probably a greater physical connection with Lena than with her, and that seemed all too clear right now, it being the first day Jeju had been left alone with the baby. Maternity leave was wonderful, but there were some things a world-conquering CEO could not delegate, not even for the most precious thing in her life. 

Kara, of course, had been terribly confident, about an hour ago. She was just as much a parent now as Lena. She had maternal instincts. She was very protective. She could handle this. And it had been going so well. Peek-a-boo had been a hit. The stuffed animal circus, complete with high-wire, kitty cat act was a triumph. Lunch, even, had gone off without a hitch, and minimal, though still adorable, spillage. But when it came time for Ellie to have nappy bye, suddenly it was the last train to No-No town. 

Gosh, shouldn’t this kid have tired herself out by now? Maybe they had missed it entirely on superpowers testing. Maybe it was supersonic screaming instead of heat vision. El certainly wailed like Black Canary.

Kara knew it was temporary. That was the thing both she and Lena had been reminding themselves, and each other, of the last few months. It was all temporary. The fussing, the dirty diapers, the near constant wardrobe changes because there were so many ways to get dirty and this child was a magnet for all of them. It was all temporary. That could be good or bad, so might as well just take it as it comes and appreciate the cute moments. 

Lena would be home in a couple of hours. Sooner, if she could manage. El would be placed back in Mom’s arms and, like magic, suddenly all the crying would stop. Kara had the patience to wait it out.

But, at the same time, there was not a little desire in the superhero to prove herself a worthy parent. This was her kid, too. Half her DNA. Her nose. And it wasn’t like they were a cliche, toxic, heterosexual couple, with the overworked mom and the dad who thinks basic parenting is “babysitting.” Kara was capable of taking care of her own kid. She would get this child to calm down or die trying.

Dying was starting to look better and better an option.

“Come on, little one,” she tried again, for the hundredth time. “Just go to sleep for your Jeju. Mommy will be home any minute, I promise, and it’ll go even faster if you’d just calm down.”

El seemed to consider this for a moment, then went right back to being upset. Kara held her daughter close to her chest and racked her brain for the next parenting technique she had gleaned from the multitude of literature she and her wife had consumed before El came into the world.

The 5 S’s worked, or were supposed to, because they helped in a small way to recreate the environment of the womb. Before birth, babies were free-floating in a warm bath. Then suddenly, push, cry, and there’s a big, bright, very loud world to deal with. Who wouldn’t be overwhelmed?

Swaddling helped them feel wrapped up and warm, like they had in utero. Lying on the stomach helped a baby to feel safe, unlike the back, which could make them feel like they were falling. Shushing mimicked the hum of white noise that had been filtered through the womb. And swinging recreated the weightless feeling of floating in amniotic fluid. Aside from sucking, the best place to get all those sensations was inside Mommy’s tummy. But now the baby was out, and they were all upset about that.

“Oh, baby, what am I going to do with you?” Kara asked, gently patting the wailing infant. She worked through the S’s again. What had she not tried?

Her mind flitted to number 4. Swinging. It was supposed to feel weightless, right? Because that’s what the baby used to feel, all calm, no gravity, floating freely.

And the woman’s brain lit up with ‘float’. _No_ , she thought. _That would not be a good idea. I mean, it wouldn’t even work. Right?_ And yet Kara was out of options. Most importantly, Kara was desperate. So she settled El firmly on her chest, head resting on her warm and soft, pastel sweater. Then the Super lifted her legs.

When Lena Luthor returned home after a day that was much too long because it involved any amount of time away from her angel, she could have, conceivably expected to find anything. The whole penthouse ransacked. Or worse, everything spotless, and a very suspicious looking wife sitting on the couch as if nothing untoward had happened. 

Of the things she might have expected, though, when she walked in the door, dropped her bag, kicked off her shoes with relief, and sighed, “Where are my beautiful girls?” Kara floating on the ceiling with El was not one of them.

The dark-haired woman stared for all of a second. Her wife turned, finally noticing her, and smiled, as if this was all perfectly ordinary.

“Your home!” She whispered.

“Kara, what the hell are you doing?” Lena shouted back.

Kara’s eyes went wide. She threw a finger to her lips. “Keep your voice down, I just got her to sleep.”

“Kara!” Lena continued to object, then immediately watched her tone. “What are you doing up there?” She added in a harsh whisper.

“Ellie was upset, so I thought I’d help her sleep.”

“On the ceiling?” Lena whisper-shouted.

“I’m not on the ceiling,” Kara retorted.

Lena stared. Kara stared. Kara looked up.

“Okay, I’m **near** the ceiling,” the blonde added.

“Kara, that is not safe for the baby,” and _baby_ was oh, so intensified.

“I’m above the couch,” was the pastel-clad woman’s excuse.

“Twelve feet above the couch,” Lena was quick to point out.

Kara glanced down. “Fine,” she admitted. She lowered. An inch.

“Kara, come down, now,” Lena insisted.

The Super lowered another foot.

“Further,” her wife ordered. “Eye level, Ms. Danvers,” she added.

At last, Kara was floating serenely just in front of her love. “Happy?” She asked.

Lena had to roll her eyes. “What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

“Well,” Kara said. Her face seemed to illustrate that she had given serious thought as to how she would explain herself when Lena, inevitably, found her in this position. Her expression further revealed that she had not come up with a viable answer. “I was trying to get El down, you see. She was really fussy, and I tried all the 5 S’s. Remember? Like in the book?”

“I remember,” said Lena.

“And they weren’t working, but then I remembered that babies like to feel like they’re back in the womb, right? So, I thought… maybe…” And she motioned to the scene. “And look at how peaceful she is.”

Lena could see her baby was indeed tucked securely against her Jeju’s chest with the most serene look on the little nugget’s face. The dark-haired woman sighed.

“She does look quite content,” she commented.

Kara’s face lit up. “Really?” She asked. “I did a good job?”

Lena sighed again, now almost in tears. “Of course, darling, you did an amazing job, I know it.” She considered the woman floating in front of her. “Unconventional, though it may be.” She kissed Kara. “Now, as I’m sure you are quite exhausted, I’d be happy to take her.”

“Actually,” said Kara. She looked down at her baby. “Do you think we could stay like this, just a bit longer?”

Lena smiled. “Okay,” she said. “But no more than 5 feet off the ground. House rule.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Lena slumped down on the couch to observe her girls, floating cooly just above her. She leaned back, elbow on the cushion, head resting against her hand, and sighed, just as content as the snoozing, little baby on her wife’s chest. Parenthood had brought many things, good and bad, to the both of them. But this, Lena thought, she would definitely take.

She’d take as much of it as she could get.


	4. College Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You asked for it, so here it is. The SuperFam visit MIT. Hilarity ensues.

MIT had changed a lot since Lena had attended. Of course, that was 25 years, 1 wife, 1 daughter, and several world-shattering crises ago. Still, it was nice to come back, troll the old stomping grounds, especially considering the company she was with.

She really had been a different person. So grown up, so naive, so jaded, so innocent, so full of promise, and, in many ways, so scared, terrified of the future, of living up to her family’s expectations, to her potential, more than that to herself. And yet here she was. Happy, of all things. Had the girl who had attended this place even dreamed of that, of all the ways she would change the world, and all the ways her world would change?

The dark-haired woman threw an arm around her daughter, pulled her in, and planted a kiss on her head.

“What was that for?” El asked with a smile.

“Just because,” Lena said, smiling herself, as they walked across the quad, her hand in Kara’s.

It was one thing to visit a college that you might go to, especially when you were the daughter of Lena Luthor, noted alumna and avid donor. It was another just to do it for fun, when you knew you were not going to attend this particular university. Lena had almost felt sorry for the very dedicated guide they had been assigned. There must have been a lot of pressure to impress Lena and her family, and here El was not even planning on coming. 

The woman who greeted them, packets and MIT-branded swag in hand, when they first set foot on campus was very bright and very cheery. (Seriously, she could give Kara a run for her money.) But it quickly became clear that this wasn’t expected to be just a nice visit, and, despite how many times Lena explained they were simply looking around, the woman had been quite adamant on selling the entire experience. Obnoxiously so. It wasn’t long before the Danvers-Luthor clan had made the very smart decision to ditch their tour guide entirely and strike out on their own.

While Mom had to admit there was a part of her just a little disappointed El wouldn’t have the same opportunities, as she had said time and time before, there was another part of her just fine with the girl staying close at home. It also felt good to relive all these memories knowing her daughter would not have to relive some of them herself but would instead make her own.

Lena walked her wife and daughter through old dorms and science labs, many of which had been updated in the intervening decades, but, here and there, were still little reminders. A cozy nook. A familiar tree. And while pleasant, El couldn’t stop pestering Mom to show them the “real” MIT, all those special places the dark-haired woman had mentioned in passing but had refused to elaborate on. Kara was not helping, either, as eager to learn about her wife’s “wild child” phase as anybody.

“I promise, it’s not as interesting as you think it is,” Lena objected for the hundredth time.

“You know, Mom,” replied El. “All this denial just makes me think it’s actually a lot more interesting than I can imagine.”

“Me, too,” Jeju added. “Seriously, Lena, what could be so bad?”

“It’s not bad,” said the dark-haired woman. “It’s just not something I am eager to share with _our daughter_.” And that word was especially emphasized to the other parent in this trio.

Kara blushed slightly but soldiered on nonetheless. “Oh, come on. What was it? Did you go streaking?”

“No!” Said Lena.

“Mix up drugs in the science lab?” Asked El.

“Young lady!” Said Mom.

“Do a keg stand?” Asked Jeju.

“You’re overestimating by drinking and athletic ability.”

“Cover the Dean’s office in bologna?” Came El’s question.

“What?”

“Hack into the school records from a library computer?” Added Kara.

“Oh, please, if it was something untoward that involved computers, the school network would not have been a challenge.” Lena’s mouth snapped shut. “Not that I’m speaking from experience.”

“Ooh!” Said her daughter suddenly. “Go on an all night bender and wake up in an empty pool, spooning a fire extinguisher, next to a live goat!”

“El Mayarah!” Said Lena. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was insulted by, just that she was insulted. She pointed quickly down a hallway of the building they were in. “Go check out a display. Learn something,” she ordered. “This trip is about you, remember?”

El snorted then tromped off. Lena shook her head and sighed. She felt Kara squish up beside her. The woman didn’t have to even look to see that grin on the blonde’s face.

“You know,” Kara said. “You don’t talk a lot about college.”

“There’s a reason for that, Kara,” said Lena. “One of the main reasons is that I’m a parent now, and there’s just some things I’d like to leave in my wild youth.”

Kara lifted their hands, clasped together, to wrap around her wife as she stepped behind her. Lena sighed contentedly as she felt the woman’s hot breath on her neck.

“I bet you had fun,” Kara whispered into her ear.

“I may have ‘cut loose’,” Lena replied. “Once or twice.”

Kara hummed. “Think you might ‘cut loose’ later tonight? Say back at the hotel?”

Lena smiled. The idea was growing on her.

Suddenly, their eyes caught the figure of their daughter, black-clad as per usual, tearing down the hallway at full speed towards them. She slid to a stop a few feet in front of her parents, who could only look at her with worry and surprise.

“El, what is it?” Mom asked.

The girl was hopping on her heels. She was practically hovering, which was a thing she could actually do now.

“I just found the greatest thing on the entire planet!” She replied.

Kara and Lena exchanged a look, then stared back at their daughter. El waved her arms for them to follow and tore off back down the hallway. The women exchanged another look and then proceeded after her.

They found El hopping excitedly next to a display. When they approached, they spied a glass-encased collection of photographs. Lena looked it over. Her eyes went wide.

“Oh,” she exclaimed. “Robotics club. I remember this. It’s so nice to think it’s still going.”

El, however, was focused on one particular section. She gestured wildly towards a photograph. Her parents leaned down towards it.

“What are you going on about, Ellie?” Lena wondered. She peered at the picture of a group of students all standing around a sophisticated, if somewhat jury-rigged robot. “Let’s see. ‘DARPA Invitational Robotics Champions, Class of 20-oh nooo…”

“Is that…?” Kara said, her eyes immediately landing on the young, college student beaming in the front row.

“IT’S TINY MOM!” El shouted.

Kara gaped. El squealed. Lena tried to will herself invisible.

“Lena!” Jeju exclaimed.

Mom put her hand to her face in embarrassment.

“Look at what she’s wearing!” El practically screamed.

The picture, indeed, showed a young, Lena Luthor, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, dressed in sweat pants and an MIT sweatshirt that hung off one shoulder, revealing the shoulder strap of a black tank top that the woman remembered vividly as being ratty and, quite likely, at least 3 days unwashed. Lena groaned.

“Lena!” Kara repeated as her head flipped rapidly between the photo and her wife.

“I was experimenting with gender expression,” the dark-haired woman replied. “It was the first time I had ever been allowed to really dress myself. I may have gotten a little slovenly.”

“Lena!” Kara said again. At last, she seemed to notice the effect this was having on her wife, especially when she turned and stared daggers at the blonde. Jeju wrapped her arms around her lovingly. “Can you buy this building?”

“What?” Lena had to ask.

“Not the whole campus, of course,” Kara added. “Just this building.”

“Why would I do that?” Her wife asked.

Kara pointed at the display. “Because I have to own this picture.”

“Oh god, you two!” Lena moaned. Her hand returned to her face.

“Jeju, don’t be silly,” El added. She yanked out her phone. “We have cameras!”

Kara immediately took to this idea. El took a well-framed shot of the picture, then had Kara take one of her pointing excitedly at it. El took her phone and began typing furiously.

“I’m sending this to Alex!” The girl exclaimed.

“Don’t you dare!” Said Lena, but El was quite gone.

“I’m going to look for other pictures of Mom!” she shouted as she tore the hallway.

Lena facepalmed yet again. She turned to her wife and poked her as hard as she could. The blonde played at being hurt. 

“I hope you enjoy embarrassing me,” she chided.

Kara pouted for a moment, then wrapped her wife in a hug again. “Hey, hey,” she said. “Come on. We’re only playing.”

Lena groaned but let herself be entangled in the blonde’s arms again. She stared at the picture.

“That girl does not know half the things life has waiting for her,” she commented with a deep sigh.

“She looks happy, though,” Kara noted. She kissed Lena’s temple. “But not nearly as happy as she is now, right?”

Lena had to smile. “No. Not by a good margin.”

“You know,” Kara added with a whisper. “Even in the frumpy clothes, young you is kind of hot.”

“That girl is eighteen, you cradle-robber.”

“I’m just saying,” Kara laughed. “College Kara would have been all over college Lena.”

“As I recall,” Lena replied. “College Kara didn’t even know she was bi.”

“Well, you would have helped me figure it out pretty darn quick.”

Lena huffed. El came running down the hall again. Once more excited to the point of near hyperventilation.

“I just realized,” she said. “We can go to the library and check out old yearbooks. I bet they have tons of pictures!”

“OH YES!” Kara said, pumping her fist in the air.

“All right, that’s it,” Lena finally said, spinning on her feet. “When we visit NCU next week, Kara, I’m finding all the embarrassing pictures of you, and I do mean ALL of them.”

Jeju had a sudden look of horror on her face as, no doubt, she began to remember some examples that may just be out there to find. El, meanwhile, was beside herself with joy.

“I’M MAKING A COLLAGE!” She exclaimed.


	5. The Name Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-engagement, Lena and Kara decide on pet names.

Lena turned the gold band, once again, and watched the stone catch the light, sending sprays of rainbow color over her finger. She couldn’t stop smiling.

“You’re not going to stop looking at it any time soon, are you?” Kara asked. The blonde sat down on the couch next to her and handed over a glass of wine.

Lena took it with her free hand and settled back against her girlfriend- Correction, her fiancée. She smiled again and held up her hand.

“Not a chance,” she said. She felt Kara’s lips trail against the back of her neck.

“I’m glad to hear that.” The blonde wrapped an arm around the dark-haired woman’s waist and pulled her closer. “How did you know?”

Lena traced a hand over the band of silver around Kara’s wrist. She held it up and let her ring tap against it. “You told me, silly,” she replied. “Kryptonians give bracelets for engagements, not rings.”

“Not that,” said Kara, nuzzling further into the woman’s hair. “How did you know I was going to ask?”

Lena laughed. “Darling, I realize I missed a very important secret of yours for many years, but, other than that, you are the world’s most unsubtle person.”

Kara groaned and buried her face in dark tresses to avoid the embarrassment. “Was I that obvious?”

“Well, let’s see,” Lena noted, tilting her head in thought. “There was the conversation we had about marriage, and then the second, and the third, all of which you brought up. There was the random questions about jewelry. Did I prefer gold or platinum? Multiple smaller diamonds or one big jewel? And then there was the time I caught you measuring my finger, and when I asked, you said it was for a special project Brainy was working on, then ‘reminded’ him of it when I asked the next day.”

Kara tried very hard to completely cover her face in Lena’s hair. The woman turned to face the blonde.

“And then, of course, there’s the fact that I love you more than anyone in the world,” Lena added. “And I know you love me too because I see it every time I look into your eyes.” She traced a finger along Kara’s chin. Their lips met in a deep and tender kiss.

“When did you know?”

“That I wanted to ask you?” Lena said.

Kara nodded.

Lena smiled. “Months ago. We were at that cocktail thing for L-Corp. I was chatting up some potential acquisition. They asked about me, and I turned to point you out. If I remember correctly, you were by the snack trays.”

Kara giggled.

“And I nearly told them, ‘That’s Kara Danvers. The one with all the potstickers. My wife.’ Of course, I didn’t, but the thought was so natural, so easy, so comfortable, that I realized I wanted it to be a reality.” She wrapped her arms around her fiancee’s neck. “Wife,” she repeated. “My wife.”

Kara bit her lip. Her eyes shone with joy and tears.

“What about you?” Lena asked.

“Months ago,” Kara replied. “We were having breakfast. It was a Saturday, and I wouldn’t let you get out of bed. You were complaining that you had to get ready, had to put on your face, that you must look awful, bedhead and no makeup. I told you I thought you looked beautiful, and you tried to laugh it off. I suddenly realized that I meant it. I mean I always mean it, but I really meant it. That I liked messy, unkempt, just-woke-up Lena as much as super sexy, back dress Lena. That I loved you so much I didn’t want you to leave the bed, because that would just be one more minute we weren’t together.”

Lena turned and traced her hand down Kara’s arm until she caught her wrist. She raised it up, holding the ring and the bracelet against the light.

“How long have you had the bracelet?” Kara asked.

“Weeks.”

“Weeks?” The blonde exclaimed incredulously. “Why didn’t you say anything? I was in agony!”

Lena laughed. “Because I knew you were trying to build up the courage, and I knew you needed to. I wanted us to do it together, like we do everything.”

Kara kissed her fiancee again. “Yeah, well, next time you know I’ve made a big, life decision would you mind telling me?”

“Whatever you say, darling.”

Kara hummed contentedly. “Ooh, I like that.”

“What?” Asked Lena. “Darling?”

Kara nodded.

“I think I’ve called you ‘darling’ before, darling,” Lena replied.

“Yeah, but now we’re engaged,” commented the blonde. “It’s different.”

Lena settled her lips against the shell of her fiancee’s ear. “Darling,” she whispered and felt Kara shiver. She leaned back with a laugh. “What about me?”

“What about you?”

“What am I?” Asked Lena. “What are you going to call me?”

Kara thought about this for a second. “I always liked the sound of ‘Lena’.”

Lena huffed. “I think we can do better than that.”

“Well,” Kara considered. She lowered her voice. “Mrs. Luthor?”

Lena grimaced. “Sounds too much like Lilian.”

“Right, right.” Kara thought again. 

“What’s the Kryptonian word for ‘darling’?” Lena asked with a very curious raise of her eyebrow.

“There’s not a direct translation,” said Kara. “But I like the idea.” She considered this for a second. Her eyes went wide. “Oh, I could call you _zrhemin_.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means ‘wife.’”

Lena mulled this over. “A little on the nose, but I don’t hate it. I take it Krypton didn’t do pet names?”

“Oh, _zrhemin_ is very serious,” Kara added. “The neutral word for ‘spouse’ is _zrhymin_. Use of the gendered form is very personal. I think I heard my father call my mother that maybe once or twice. It is extremely intimate.”

“Well,” said Lean as she leaned closer to her fiancee. “ _Zrhemin_ it is then, but only when you really feel it, darling.”

Kara nodded. She put her mouth to her fiancee’s ear. “ _Zrhemin_ ,” she said and giggled when a tremor passed through the woman. She interlaced their fingers, playing in the soft warmth of touch. Everything felt so slow right now, a subtle, savory build, and neither had any intention of speeding it up. “You didn’t want to do the hyphen thing, right?”

Lena shook her head. “Too confusing. Besides, you’re Ms. Danvers already, and I’m Ms. Luthor. No reason to complicate it, especially if we have to argue about which goes first, Danvers-Luthor or Luthor-Danvers.”

Kara nodded her understanding. “Personally, I would be partial to Danvers-Luthor.”

“I think I would be, too,” replied Lena. She leaned in for another kiss. “We’ll save that one for the children.”

Kara’s lips paused against hers. “You want to have kids?”

Lena leaned back an inch. Her eyes found Kara’s. They dug softly into the blonde woman’s. “Yeah. Do you?”

“I do,” said Kara with no hesitation. “With you.”

“I want to have kids with you, too, Kara,” the dark-haired woman said. Their lips met in earnest this time. Lena broke it a moment later. “To be clear, not any time soon, and I say ‘kids’, but I’d be quite content with one.”

“One sounds great,” said Kara.

Lena smiled and kissed her again. “You’re going to be a good mother.”

“You think?” Kara asked as her fiancee’s lips played against her cheek.

“Mm-hmm,” Lena hummed. “Excellent.”

“So will you,” the blonde added as she peppered her fiancee’s absolutely amazing jawline.

“Really?”

“Really,” Kara answered. “Just the best.” She let her lips trail up to Lena’s ear. “What will the kid call you?”

Lena hummed in thought, carding her fingers through blonde tresses. “Mom,” she said at last. “I think I could to learn to love the sound of that. What about you? What’s the Kryptonian equivalent?”

“ _Jeju_ ,” Kara said.

“ _Jeju_ ,” Lena repeated and pressed her lips against her fiancee’s as she climbed fully into her lap. “You’re going to be such a good _Jeju,_ darling.”

They breathed each other in for a long moment. When they finally broke to actually breathe air, Lena settled her head against Kara’s shoulder and held out her hand, watching the jewel sparkle again.

“Can’t imagine what this must have cost you,” she commented.

“Not as much as you might think.”

Lena raised an eyebrow. “Not that I’m complaining, Kara, but frugality is not usually a desirable factor when it comes to engagement rings.”

“What I mean is,” Kara corrected. “I didn’t exactly buy it.”

Lena raised her other eyebrow. “Did you obtain it some other way?”

“I made it.”

Lena’s brow went sky high at that. “Made? It’s a diamond, Kara, not a greeting card.” The scientist considered the implications. “Are you saying you _made_ it? As in you took some coal, squeezed it extremely tight and then shot it with heat vision?”

Kara nodded. She tapped the ring. “The band and setting I bought, but the jewel is homegrown.”

Lena had to goggle. Then she had to smile. Then she had to kiss her. Hard.

When they parted breathlessly an eternity later, the smile was still very much on Lena’s face. Kara sported its twin. The dark-haired woman slid back, off the woman’s lap, and stood up. She held a hand out to her fiancee, who willingly took it.

“Come now, my darling,” Lena said in that smooth, deep voice of hers. She yanked Kara up into a standing position. “I have some things to show my future…” The woman leaned in again to whisper, “ _Zrhemin_.” 

Kara visibly shivered. “Why does it sound so good coming out of your mouth?”

Lena giggled and stepped away, dragging the woman with her. “ _Zrhemin_ ,” she repeated as she stepped backwards towards the bedroom door. “ _Zrhemin._ ” 

“My _Zrhemin_ ,” Kara answered.


	6. Two For One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Schedules and shenanigans. Kara and Lena argue who gets the privilege of picking El up from school, then both do it anyway.

“Peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese?” Lena asked, turning from the kitchen counter where various sandwich-making paraphernalia were currently spread out.

A dark-haired girl in pigtails bobbed her head side-to-side rhythmically as she considered this oh-so-important of questions. “P-butter,” she finally answered with six-year-old determination.

The woman with identical darkly-colored locks nodded. She picked up a jar. “Strawberry or grape jelly?”

“Grape,” the girl replied immediately.

Lena nodded once more. “Cut straight or di-“

“Diagonal!” The kindergartener shouted.

“Of course, how silly of me to forget,” her mother laughed. She set about preparing the sandwich to her child’s exacting specifications, making sure to cut diagonally before placing it in the the lunch box alongside the sack of carrot sticks and the small collections of Oreos. Lena glanced over her shoulder at the little girl, still bobbing her head to some song only she could hear. “Finish your breakfast, Ellie. We have to leave soon.”

El Mayarah stabbed another pre-cut piece of pancake and shoved it into her mouth. She chewed and continued to bob, humming to herself. A blonde woman entered the kitchen a minute later, planting a kiss on the top of the girl’s head. El returned the affection by shaking her head again, lashing at her Jeju with her pigtails. Kara laughed.

“Good morning,” the blonde woman singsonged as she stepped behind her wife and met her lips in a kiss. 

The dark-haired woman passed over a plate of pancakes to her as she finished putting together lunch for El. With another glance over her shoulder, she gently reminded the girl, “El, finish up.”

El forked another piece of pancake into her mouth.

“Excited for school today?” Kara asked as she took a seat on her daughter’s right.

The girl nodded. 

“What are you most excited about?” The woman probed further.

“Science,” said the little girl. 

Kara laughed. “Well, you’re definitely ours.” She brushed an errant strand of hair away from the girl’s face before tapping the plate. El forked herself another mouthful. “Oh, I meant to tell you last night,” Jeju said, turning to her wife. “I can pick El up after school. I know you have that thing.”

Lena spun worriedly on her heels. “What thing?”

“That video-conference you were doing,” Kara replied. “It was on your schedule.”

“Oh, that?” Lena said with a dismissive wave. “I moved that.”

“It’s not a problem.”

“Don’t be silly,” Lena went on. “It’s my day to pick her up.”

“I don’t mind, really,” her wife insisted. “I know you’re busy.”

“So are you. You have an issue meeting this afternoon,” Lena was quick to remind her. “It was on your schedule.”

Kara opened her mouth to protest once more, then stopped. She laughed. “Is it weird that our assistants communicate with us more than we do with each other?”

“I wouldn’t say more,” Lena said. “Probably as much.” She stared at her wife for a moment. “And, yes, that’s probably odd.”

“Well, the issue meeting’s not an issue,” Kara said and laughed at her own pun. “You had to pick her up all last week when I had that Superwoman thing. I owe you.”

“I **got** to pick her up,” Lena corrected. She stepped towards the table and planted another kiss on her daughter’s head. “It’s a privilege.”

“And one I would like to enjoy,” Kara stated.

“You will. Tomorrow is your day. Today is mine.”

“I can swing by. It’s not a problem, I swear.” Kara wolfed down a good portion of her pancakes while simultaneously guiding her daughter’s fork to her own mouth. “You know it’s a lot easier for me to get over there than you.”

“Perhaps,” Lena said as she took her own seat on El’s opposite side. “But it’s a little conspicuous, and I’ve never been crazy about you flying with her.”

“But El loves it,” insisted Kara. “Don’t you, little one?”

El threw her hands up in the air. “Ellie fly with Jeju!”

“See?” Kara replied.

“It’s not a problem, Kara.”

“I just don’t want her to wait, you know?” The blonde sighed. “I feel like I’m cancelling half the time, anyways.”

Lena reached out a hand across the table to take Kara’s. “You’re not. We all know you have important work. Don’t we, Ellie?”

The girl nodded. “Jeju punch all the bad guys.”

“Yes, she does,” Kara said with a nod. She fixed Lena with a glance. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” her wife replied. “The meeting has already been shifted. I’ll be at El’s school with plenty of time.”

“Okay,” said Kara.

They smiled at one another, then turned to their daughter.

“Finish up,” they said in unison.

* * *

Kara got the call at 12:25. 

“Hey, babe,” she answered immediately.

“Hey, darling,” came the answer. “I’m calling to cancel lunch.”

Kara pouted, but she’d been married to this wonderful woman long enough to know Lena Luthor does not back out of a prior appointment without a very good reason, especially an appointment with her. “What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Some meetings that were meant to get switched did not,” Lena sighed on the other end of the line. “And I’m told it’s frowned upon to shove half your board out the window for insubordination.”

“Generally,” Kara replied with a chuckle. “Well, I can’t say I’m happy, but I’m not surprised. I know you’ve been busy.” 

“Darling, you know I would much rather be anywhere with you than a working lunch with a bunch of fat cats.”

“I know.”

“Speaking of much more preferable appointments, though.” Lena sighed deeply. 

“You need me to pick up El.”

Lena laughed. “Mind reader.”

“It’s one of my many talents.”

“I know I made a big fuss about it this morning-“

“And you may recall I tried to wrestle the privilege away from you.”

The dark-haired woman laughed again. “You are the best.”

“You are.”

“I know,” she laughed again. “Tell El I’m so sorry.”

“She’ll understand.”

“As long as one of us is there, right?”

“Right,” Kara said. “You will be home in time for dinner?”

“Absolutely,” Lena stated solidly. “If I’m not, I will be downsizing the board. Violently.”

“You know if you wanted to throw them out a window, accidentally,” Kara offered. “A certain someone could be there to dramatically save them. Might put the fear of Luthor into them.”

“It might,” this particular Luthor replied. “But I’m afraid that’s not the type of leadership I would like to model. If I can avoid it.”

“Knock ‘em dead.”

“Only if I have to. Love you.”

“Love you.”

Kara was, by no means, happy to miss her wife for lunch, but she could take the smallest, (not so small, in fact), comfort in the privilege of seeing her daughter’s smiling face right after school.

And, as is usual for plans we make for our own happiness, the universe decided to complicate this.

The issue meeting, that Kara had originally rescheduled for the sole purpose of convincing her very busy wife that she could take their child, only to be rebuffed, and then get the opportunity anyway, went long, and not in the we-have-a-couple-extra-points-to-make way but in the we-might-have-to-redo-the-issue-from-the-ground-up way. By the time Kara got out of it, she was already ready to call it for the day and so very thankful she had an adorable, six-year-old excuse to. There was only the matter of the massive pile of emails to sort through. She checked the clock. Plenty of time.

Then she heard the sirens. 

It was not an abnormal thing for a city this size. Bad things happened all the time, and not everything required Super assistance. Then her phone beeped that special beep that only the DEO used, the ultrasonic variety only she could hear. Kara stepped out onto the private balcony of her office and checked the message. Yep, bank robbery, and this one involved lots of heavy artillery that probably didn’t originate in this solar system.

She sighed heavily. _This looks like a job for Superwoman._ She checked her watch. How fast could you foil a bank robbery, tie up all the bad guys, wait for the authorities to secure the scene, pose for a couple of press photos, and make a statement for the CatCo blog before you absolutely had to be across town to pick up your kindergartener?

Okay, if the bad guys surrendered the moment she showed up, she’d have plenty of time. Then again, she could always skip the photos. Maybe just one.

She checked her phone again. The backdrop was a photo of the two people she loved more than the whole world.

Okay, no photos, and she’d leave a note for the police.

* * *

Lena, meanwhile, was contemplating murder, or the very next thing, because there were a number of people trying her nerves today who very much knew better than to do so. Every meeting had gone long, every appointment had been late, and, at this point, she hadn’t even had lunch at all after cancelling on Kara. If one more thing went awry, she swore, she’d start lining people up by the windows.

Then the newsflash came on. Superwoman was in a standoff with a bunch of bank robbers with an arsenal that made Lena just a little bit jealous. Events of the extraordinary variety were the morning ride to work in National City. It had been a long time even since Lena had been genuinely worried about the things Kara faced. But as she watched the ticker across the screen just off to the side in the boardroom, her eyes couldn’t help but drift to the clock on the wall.

_Oh dear_ , she thought as she flitted back to the television. She had to know, of course. Kara wouldn’t just forget. She could have called, could have let Lena know. Oh, but, no, she wouldn’t. She had just been going on this morning about feeling guilty for cancelling. And as the woman stared at the blonde face on the screen, she could read it in her eyes. She was going to try to do it all. Be Mom and Supermom all at once, and Lena knew she would hate herself if she couldn’t. But Lena wouldn’t let her.

This looked like a job for a Luthor.

The room lurched to sudden silence as the CEO dropped her hands to the table loudly. Lena stood up and glared at every face.

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not a fan of spinning my wheels for the hell of it,” she said. “Keep talking if you feel like it, but I, for one, have much better places to be.” And with that, she marched out, to the silent stares of the board. Someone had to go out the window. Turns out it was her.

She told her assistant to call a car and was on the elevator with her bag and coat in 2 minutes. She texted Kara.

_L: Don’t worry about El. All taken care of. Be safe._

The car was waiting at the corner when she reached the lobby. She checked the time, slid into the backseat, and gently ordered her driver, “Step on it.”

* * *

_Why do people fight back?_ , Kara had to wonder. I mean she knew why. The answer was human stupidity. Nothing new, but it was damn disappointing when she had places to be. Disarming the robbers turned out to be the easy part. As with most things, the cleanup was a bear.

In her defense, Kara had not been the one to make the gaping whole in the side of the building, but she did feel really bad about just leaving it there. And then there were the hostages, including a very clingy, little girl, who was not doing her any favors being all cute and reminding her of the equally precious, little one waiting for her, and _please someone take this child before I adopt her out of pure guilt!_

She did not pose for pictures. Luckily, she spied a CatCo press badge in the crowd. The upside was they didn’t have to worry about filler stories for the next issue. The downside was the clock was ticking.

With a last wave to the little girl, safely wrapped up in a blanket with her mother, Superwoman turned to the sky and left quite a few bystanders shaking with the speed of her exit. She didn’t check the clock. She just went as fast as she could.

Experience, and previous close calls, had taught her there was a copse of trees just down the block from the school that was thick enough for a quick change. She hit it at enough speed to scare some pigeons, rolled out, brushing moss off her sweater, and tried to power walk nonchalantly the rest of the way.

* * *

El Danvers-Luthor waved goodbye to her teacher and made her way with her classmates out to the front drive of their school, very much glad to be free from the confines of education, no matter how enjoyable, and back in the sunshine. The dark-haired girl cinched up her backpack and trotted down the steps. She watched as each of her classmates paired off with their respective caregivers, parents, and pickups before turning wide eyes to the street.

Only there was no one there.

She looked up and down the sidewalk. Then, with a careful glance behind her, she looked up at the sky. Clear as day. She was half a breath from worry when a black sedan suddenly rolled up. The door opened and a pristine, if slightly flustered, woman stepped out. Around that exact moment, a slightly rumpled blonde woman, still picking a leaf off her shoulder, turned the corner of the school.

“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry I’m late,” came out at the same time as “Hey, little one, change of plans.”

They stopped as they each heard the other’s voice. They turned as they each realized their wife was standing literally next to them.

“Kara?” Asked Lena.

“Lena?” Asked Kara.

“What are you doing here?” said Lena.

“What are you doing here?” said Kara, and followed the up with, “You asked me to.”

“I know, but I thought you were busy.”

“I thought you were busy. You had a board meeting!”

“I canceled it. You had a bank robbery!”

“I wrapped it up real quick,” Kara insisted. 

“I texted you!”

“I flew straight here!,” the blonde replied, yanking out her phone. “I’ve barely had time to- Oh, there it is.” Her face fell slightly. “Did you not think I’d be here?”

“No, of course not, darling,” said Lena, suddenly realizing the implications. “I just didn’t want you to feel guilty if you couldn’t. You work so hard.”

“You work so hard! I know you have all those meetings and appointments. I want you to know I can carry my share of the weight.”

“Kara, you carry the world. I know that. I don’t want you to think I’m forgetting what’s really important.”

“I don’t think that.”

“I know. But you can’t just forget a bank robbery every time you’re late.”

“You can’t blow a board meeting.”

“My board meetings are not that important.”

“Well, bank robberies are… Okay, I don’t have a good follow-up, but you don’t have to…” And she lost momentum.

So had the dark-haired woman. They stared at each, both waist-deep in an argument that didn’t feel like an argument because they both seemed to be fighting for the other’s side. Finally, Lena just burst into laughter. Kara stared and then quickly joined her.

“We’re ridiculous, aren’t we?” Lena said when she finally got her breath back.

“Absolutely,” said Kara before grabbing her wife and planting her lips on hers. “I mean we’re arguing over who has the privilege of picking up a six-year-old.”

Lena nodded. “Well, she is pretty cute.” They both glanced over at the child in question quietly staring at her parents.

“Yeah, I’m thinking we should keep her,” said Kara.

Lena chuckled then knelt down in front of her daughter. “Hello, Ellie,” she said. “You have some very silly mothers, did you know that?”

El Mayarah nodded. Kara laughed.

“Oh, yeah, she’s a keeper.”

Lena looked up at her wife. “I assume you cleared your whole afternoon.”

Kara could only shrug. “Completely,” she said. “I assume you blew off the rest of your day.”

“Completely,” the dark-haired woman replied. She turned back to the girl. “Well, I say that warrants a trip to the park. What do you think?”

El Mayarah beamed from ear-to-ear. She stepped forward and put one hand in each of the women’s, Jeju on one side, Mom on the other side, as they walked her back to the car. They leaned over her head and kissed each other again. She smiled. They smiled.

Some things are worth rearranging your day for.


	7. The Name Game 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Lena try to pick a name for their daughter, but only one of them's taking this seriously.

“Oh, right there,” Lena moaned as her wife’s fingers moved, deftly finding all the right places across her skin. She tensed as Kara’s thumb ground against a particular spot, then sighed at the exquisite release.

“You know,” Kara commented. “I always wondered if the whole ‘pregnant woman/swollen feet’ thing was an urban legend.”

“It is not,” the dark-haired woman sighed again.

Kara answered this by drawing both her thumbs up Lena’s arch. The woman practically vibrated.

“You are getting really good at that,” Ms. Luthor replied.

“After 7 months, I’ve had plenty of practice.”

“That you have,” Lena said with another deep sigh. She settled back into the couch cushion, stretching her legs out, then tensing. “If you want to work on my calves, too, that would be wonderful, darling.”

The blonde nodded and moved a hand up from Lena’s foot to knead into the back of her wife’s legs. “You know, for someone who works behind a desk all day, you carry a lot of tension in your legs.”

“I don’t work at a desk all day,” Lena replied, then mentally kicked herself for giving her wife an opening like that.

“Why not?” Kara asked knowingly. “I mean, you’re supposed to be.” Her hands paused in their ministrations. “You wouldn’t be sneaking trips down to the lab, would you?”

Lena whined at the sudden cessation of foot rubbing, but under no circumstances did she meet her wife’s eyes.

“Lena?”

“We have a lot of projects at important junctures,” the dark-haired CEO replied. “I can’t oversee them all from my office.”

“That’s what delegation’s for!” Kara objected.

“Darling, I-“ Lena started, looking down at her wife, then realizing there was a rather sizable bump in her way. She leaned up on her elbows and craned her neck to see over her pregnant belly and give Kara a meaningful, if somewhat overdramatic, pout. “There are some things I can’t delegate.”

Kara returned her pout with a glare. “You promised.”

“I swear the strictest safety measures are enforced,” said Lena. “Even if I wanted to, there’s about a dozen department heads who would leap in front of me if I so much as took a step out from behind the observation screen.”

“Well, nice to know your employees have your best interests at heart,” Kara said, emphasis added with a gentle squeeze of the woman’s toes. “Even if you don’t.”

“Yes,” Lena sighed contentedly again, settling back into her cushion. “I understand someone threatened them.”

“I did not threaten,” Kara countered. “I bribed.”

Lena chuckled breathily. “Sweets from the sweet.”

“The sweetest.” Kara trailed her fingers back up her wife’s calves. “Speaking of which,” she added as her hands journeyed up towards Lena’s thighs. “If there are any other spots you might want me to work on…”

Lena stayed with her head lolling on the pillow. She raised a hand and lazily pointed back towards her feet. “Eyes on your work, Ms. Danvers,” she said. “I’m the one who’s supposed to be constantly horny, remember?”

“No, you’re just the one with the excuse of pregnancy hormones.”

Lena laughed again. Kara went back to her arches in earnest. She really had gotten better at this, crafting her technique with this nearly nightly ritual, experimenting with pressure, tension, even vibration, one of the many benefits of complete muscle control. Lena, certainly had not been complaining.

“So, I was thinking,” Kara added after a few minutes’ focused attention on Lena’s ankles, to the woman’s contented moans. “About names.”

Lena opened one eye. She tilted her head to stare at her wife around the baby bump. She said nothing, but her gaze stated that the blonde woman had been warned. Whether missing this cue, or very likely ignoring it, Kara soldiered on.

“What about ‘Luna’?”

Lena moaned again, less contentedly, most annoyedly. She settled her head back down on the pillow and wondered if the foot rubs were worth the aggravation. Kara hit a certain spot, and the woman immediately thought they just might be.

“Kara, I’m only going to say this one more time,” Lena replied. “We are not naming our daughter something that starts with L.”

“Why not?” Kara asked in faux innocence.

“You know why!” Lena said, propping herself up immediately to glare at the blonde woman.

Kara stared back. Gradually, the smile began to form on her face. “You have to admit, it would be hilarious.”

“I do not have to admit that,” said her wife. 

“How about Lucy?”

“Kara.”

“Ludmilla?”

“Kara Zor-El Danvers, if you will not take this seriously!”

Kara’s jaw snapped shut. She went back to rubbing her wife’s feet quietly.

“Honestly,” Lena sighed. “What kind of parent treats their child’s name, the title they will be called for the rest of their life, like a joke?”

“The kind who wants to fill this house with laughter!” Kara answered.

Lena glared. Kara glared back. Kara burst into laughter.

“There are 25 other letters just in the English alphabet,” Lena stated over her wife’s giggles. “Pick literally any of them.” She let her head flop back. “I mean, isn’t there some Kryptonian name that would work better?”

Kara thought about this for a second. “Well, we’re not naming her after my father.”

“No, of course not,” said Lena. “Zor?” She shook her head. “What about your mother? Alura’s a lovely name.”

Kara turned her head at the idea. “I don’t know. Just not working for me.” Lena glared. “I mean it! I’m just not feeling it.”

“What about your aunt?” Lena offered. “Astra?”

Kara shrugged. “Yeah, but Kelly and Alex already have Astrid. That’d get confusing. Come to think of it, it’s kind of odd Alex has a daughter named Astrid. I’ve never thought about that.”

“Well, why don’t we name her after Alex?”

Kara’s eyes brightened at the thought. Lena smiled.

“Alexandra Danvers-Luthor does have a nice ring to it,” she said.

“Yeah!” Exclaimed Kara. “Then we could call her Lexi!”

Lena glared. Kara stared.

“Okay, I hear it now,” the blonde said.

Lena’s head fell back. “Alexandra’s definitely out.” Kara raised a hand to possibly object. Lena pointed at her without bothering to glare over her belly. “You can’t be trusted.”

They sat in silence for awhile, Lena in thought, Kara focused on her wife’s swollen feet. The dark-haired woman stared at the ceiling. _It shouldn’t be this hard,_ she told herself, and yet she instantly knew why it was. This was their daughter, the life they were bringing into the world. Expectation management went right out the window because, honestly, what name could live up to the sheer expectation?

Did you name her after a beloved aunt only to be reminded of her every time you called your own daughter’s name? Did you give her some very creative and unique name only to doom her to a lifetime of mispronunciations and teasing? And what if she didn’t even like it or she turned out to be trans or GNC and picked their own name years later?

In the end, they were probably doomed either way, but, like everything else, it was better to be doomed together. If they could just make up their minds.

“What about your foster mother?” Lena finally said.

Kara’s ears perked up. “Eliza?”

“It’s a beautiful name.”

Kara nodded. Then she started giggling. The woman attempted to stop it, swallow the sound, but it bubbled forth.

“Kara?” Lena asked, suddenly serious. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing,” the woman snorted.

“Kara,” Lena intoned as her wife continued to try and stifle an insistent laugh. “Oh, out with it.”

“Well,” Kara said between giggles. “I was just thinking.” _Chortle. Snicker._ “If we named her Eliza, we could call her ‘El.’” And then she exploded.

Lena sighed and let her hand fall to her face. Foot rubs be damned, sometimes she did wonder why she married this woman. Then a thought occurred to her.

“Wait a second,” she said. “That’s your house name.”

“What?” Said Kara, momentarily pulled from her own humor.

“El, it’s the name of your house,” Lena said. “I never realized that.”

“Huh,” Kara noted. “I didn’t either.” She grinned. “So you see the irony?”

“I’m afraid I do,” Lena groaned. She sat up suddenly. “What’s that motto?” She asked. “The motto of your house, where El comes from?”

“ _El Mayarah_?” Kara said. 

“That’s the one. It means ‘stronger together’, right?”

“Yeah,” Kara replied with a nod. She let the words tumble around in her brain. “ _El Mayarah_ ,” she repeated.

“ _El Mayarah_ ,” Lena said.

Their eyes met. Even without words, they could see the same thought flitting behind the other’s eyes.

“Are you…?” Kara asked.

Lena nodded. “I think it works.”

“El Mayarah,” Kara breathed.

“El Mayarah Danvers-Luthor,” said Lena.

Kara smiled. Then her face dropped. “Did we just name our baby?”

Lena smiles, tears rimming her eyes. “I think we did.”

Kara let her wife’s feet go. She leaned up on the couch, hovering over Lena’s belly. She ran a hand softly over its grand curve. “Hi, El Mayarah,” she said. “We can’t wait to meet you.”

Lena’s hand met hers over her stomach. They interlaced fingers. With a gentle tug, Lena pulled her wife to her, her lips to hers. The foot rubs could not compare to this. She decided to keep the blonde around, bad puns and all. When they parted, the dark-haired woman pressed her forehead against her wife’s. They both breathed in the moment, all the warmth, the peace of it. The future held a universe of possibilities, but it was something they couldn’t wait to meet. Together.

“Kara,” Lena said, her voice low, breathy, husky. “Take off my pants.”

“You want me to work more on your calves?” Her wife asked honestly.

Lena shook her head. “No.”

“Oh,” Kara said. Her eyes went wide as she realized there were other parts of her wife that required attention. “OH!”

Lena squealed as she was suddenly airborne. The next thing she knew she was landing on the bed.

Stronger together. Definitely stronger together. 


	8. Good Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena realizes she has feelings for a certain blonde, best friend but doesn't quite no what to do with them, so she calls on an old friend. Cue cameo!

It was a problem. An intense one, not easily solved, not even easily understood. It may just be the most important question she had ever had to answer.

Lena Luthor was no stranger to such conundrums. Riddles, be they scientific or business, were practically a form of entertainment. The more convoluted and complicated the better. There was nothing she liked more than sitting down with a white board, throwing her hair up in a messy bun, and letting herself get elbows deep in it.

But this… This was something else. A Gordian’s knot of so many factors, friendship and trauma and hurt and emotions, emotions, emotions. And, despite herself, or maybe, very much, because of herself, of who she was and who she was more and more each day becoming, she just couldn’t tackle it the same way.

The problem was Kara.

That sentence, a year, even a number of months ago, would have had a very different flavor to it. They had come so far, together, crawled and scraped and fought, often each other, to get back to where they were before, well, all of it. Maybe that was why she was so hesitant to think about… more. Why change, why risk changing what they had, when they had given up so much to get here?

And yet the problem remained. Every time she saw the woman, it was there, so obvious, like the clicking of a geiger counter. Every smile, every laugh, every time Kara looked at her, every time she caught Lena looking, every time Lena caught herself looking.

In the end, Lena knew what it meant. She had feelings for Kara Danvers. The complicated kind. But naming the problem did not solve it. The question of “What then?” only lingered. And the more and more Lena agonized over it, the more she knew she simply couldn’t solve this on her own.

That presented her with a new problem. Who the hell could she tell? Who could she go to? Oh, she had options. Alex, Kelly, Nia, J’onn, even Brainy, James, if she was desperate. Part of all their fighting and striving together had gained Lena back her found family, all the more reason to tread lightly here. She had support. She might even have guessed at their responses.

But… James, for all his politeness, for as far as he had come from what she knew had started out as a cold reception, could not give her much more than a biased opinion, a fair one, but biased. They had history. He and Kara had history. Brainy, God love him, would diligently devote hours to equations factoring in every conceivable variable. He would do the math with her, but they would be no closer, either of them, to understanding. J’onn could read her mind and, she knew, would only tell her to follow what she already knew. Nia would be gung-ho, shipper number one. She would plan the wedding. She would enlist the entire CatCo staff in an intricate, meet-cute plot worthy of a Hallmark movie, ending, no doubt, in a full-on, flash mob, prom-posal style confession no one could say “no” to. Lena wasn’t quite ready for that. Kelly would lend a listening ear, offering just the right amount of push, holding back just the right amount of opinion. If anyone, Lena would probably go to her, but there was a part of her that didn’t want reasoned advice as much as she wanted someone to be brutally honest with her. In that case, Alex would likely be best, but Alex was also the last person she should go to with this. The woman did not hate her, but, where Kara was concerned, Alex kept a shotgun handy for any and all would-be suitors. In Lena’s case, the redhead would probably give her the shovel talk right there and then. The dark-haired woman wasn’t quite ready for that.

In the end, what she needed was all of these, and maybe none of them, maybe more. She needed someone she could trust to be in her corner as much as to be real with her. She needed someone who knew her, someone who knew Kara too, if at all possible. She needed a confidante. She needed a friend. And, while there was no one in her current, immediate vicinity, there was someone who might fit the bill. To be honest, it was perfect timing. She had been meaning to call them and reconnect.

Lena shifted in her seat and willed herself to not check her phone for the thousandth time. She failed, glimpsing the time on the phone screen for a half-second, long enough to prove it had not been more than a minute since the last time she had checked and it was not more than 5 minutes past the hour, confirming, as well, that the woman she was meeting was in no way even fashionably late, and, _yes, Ms. Luthor_ , this was simply nerves.

The dark-haired woman couldn’t help it. She’d been raised in a household where vulnerability, even and especially to those closest to you, was treated as a means to an end, the end being emotional and intellectual manipulation. It had always been hard to open up to anyone. The one person who had consistently made her comfortable enough to do so was also the subject of tonight’s get-together, so, all in all, it was a wonder Lena hadn’t throw up yet.

She sipped her bourbon gingerly and hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

She did not have to wait long as, just before she was tempted to check her phone, again, she spied a familiar figure stepping across the bar towards her. Lena slid out of the booth and found the smile she gave the woman was heartfelt and genuine, as it seemed was the one that was returned.

“Jess!” Lena exclaimed, almost alarmed at the volume of her voice. She really was excited. “It’s so good to see you!” And she found herself going in for a hug, her inner alarm sounding for just a second, but her former receptionist was not put off in the slightest but took in the hug immediately.

“It’s good to see you as well, Ms. Luthor,” the woman replied with a bright, cheerful voice. God, Lena missed hearing that on the intercom.

“Jess,” Lena said as they parted. “You don’t work for me anymore. I think you can call me ‘Lena.’”

A wave of doubt passed over the woman’s features. Then she laughed. “I’ll try my hardest.”

Lena motioned for her to join her at the booth. They set about to ordering drinks, Jess a martini, Lena quickly lining up another bourbon, knowing she was about to down the rest of this one in a single gulp. After a brief catch-up, her former receptionist turned to her with a smile.

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure?” She asked. “Not that I’m not thrilled to see you again, Ms-, I mean Lena, but your message made it sound like there was something specific you needed to talk about.”

Lena stared for a second. She had to shake her head. “I’m reminded why you were my best assistant,” she said, then shook her head again. “And why I was a fool to ever let you get away. You always seemed able to read my mind.”

Jess only shrugged. “Came with the territory. If it’s any consolation, you are the best boss I’ve ever had, by a wide margin.”

“Thank you,” Lena said, and, yes, there she was downing the rest of her bourbon. “I wanted your advice.”

“Advice?” Jess replied. “I’m honored.”

“You know me pretty well,” Lena continued. “Or you did, at one time.”

“I like to think I still do.”

Lena smiled. “I need someone I can trust, someone who knows me well enough to know when I’m fooling myself and when I’m avoiding what I really should be doing, someone who’s a friend.” Lena managed to hold the woman’s gaze. She breathed. “And, I know I never said it, but I did consider you one, and I was so grateful to have you there in my first days in National City.”

Jess smiled back. The woman reached a hand across the table and gently squeezed Lena’s.

“I know this sounds like I’m trying to recruit you into some world-takeover plot, but I promise it’s not that serious,” Lena added with a light chuckle, then a serious tilt of her head. “Then again, it kind of is.”

Jess kept her hand on Lena’s. When Ms. Luthor looked back up at her, she could not detect a single line of doubt on her face.

“If it involves you, Ms. Luthor,” Jess said. “I’d gladly sign up for a world-takeover.”

Lena sighed again, relieved, just a hair. “It’s about… relationships.”

The woman visibly brightened. “Oh, those are my bread and butter.” She sat back and twirled her martini glass between her fingers. “Bring it on.”

Lena was, at once, grateful for the woman’s enthusiasm. It did not help her own anxiety, of course, but it was still nice. _Okay, time to get out with it_ , she told herself.

“Do you remember Kara?”

Jess’s face changed so rapidly, so unexpectedly, and so excitedly that Lena wasn’t sure what to do at first. It was almost as if she was doing somersaults behind her eyes. 

“Oh, thank God!” The woman exclaimed, to Lena’s half horror, half confusion. “You finally went for it, didn’t you?”

Lena’s jaw dropped. Then it snapped back up, rattling her teeth. Then it dropped again.

“What?” Was all she could say at first. “I haven’t… We aren’t… How do you know about it?” The last bit coming out just as much indignantly as questioningly.

“Are you kidding?” Was Jess’s reply. “The second time you met the woman you put her on the ‘Always Welcome’ list. A list, by the way, that I had to create because it did not exist beforehand. And that was after you had multiple attempts on your life your first week in town. Not to mention, you already knew she was the cousin of Clark Kent, a reporter with nothing good to say about your brother or your family name.” The woman looked back at Lena incredulously. 

“Was I…” _That obvious_? Lena wanted to ask, but, then again, had she been? She hadn’t really known at the time. She only figured it out a few weeks ago. Then again, hadn’t she always known? Wasn’t this latest revelation only a realization of what had already been there, what had always been, since the beginning? “You knew that far back?” She finally settled on.

Jess shrugged. “I had a good idea,” she replied. “I didn’t know if you swung that way. Not yet, at least. But Kara seemed like a good thing for you, and you two were sickeningly cute together. Plus, she came to the office in short sleeves, more than once. I’ve seen her arms.” Jess added an eyebrow waggle for effect.

Still, Lena couldn’t help but fight the obvious truth. “But, we were just friends-“

“You had me fill her office with flowers,” Jess was quick to cut in. “That’s what you literally said. After she wrote one article about you, you told me, and I quote, ‘Jess, fill that woman’s office with flowers. I don’t care the kind or how many florists you have to buy out, just make it happen.’”

Now it was Lena’s turn to look incredulous. “I was really deluded, wasn’t I?”

But rather than laughter, Jess only returned understanding. She reached for Lena’s hand once more. “You had a lot on your plate,” she said gently. “Relationships are tricky, all by themselves, then you slap a name like ‘Luthor’ on it and, no offense.”

“None taken,” Lena said. “I can assure you.”

“I think, too,” Jess went on. “That some part of you, deep down, thought you didn’t deserve it, to be happy, to be with someone like Kara, maybe to be with anyone.” The woman tilted her head and gave Lena a considerate look. “I get the feeling you still think that, and maybe that’s why you called me.”

Lena looked down at her drink, already half consumed. She chuckled shortly to herself. “I really was an idiot to let you go.”

Jess only shrugged again. “I’m here now.”

And she was, and Lena was so grateful. She took another, bracing sip and turned bodily towards her one-time receptionist. “So, what do you think I should do?”

“I think you already know what you need to do,” came the immediate response. Lena felt her mouth dropping again, the protest nearly formed, when the addition followed, “And I don’t think you need me to tell you.”

Lena closed her eyes. She breathed. She reminded herself this was exactly why she had called Jess to begin with. This was what she needed, but she needed a little more.

“She’s my best friend,” she said, eyes still closed, a tear pooling at each corner. “I can’t lose her.”

“You won’t,” Jess assured. 

“But, you’re right,” Lena went on. “This name, this life I’m saddled with, there’s so much baggage, not even all mine. How can I invite her into that?”

“You already have.”

“But this, this is more.”

“You think maybe she wants it to?”

Lena’s eyes open. She held onto Jess’s gaze, for comfort, for an anchor against the tide of that truth. 

“We’ve been through so much,” she said. “We’re stronger, but things are so delicate. How can I…” She choked for a half-second. “Why risk it?”

“Because you love her.”

And that was a tidal wave and a shot to the heart and the sun breaking through the clouds all at once. Lena was floored, although she knew it was the truth. She hadn’t said it yet, not to herself, not even in her head, but there it was, clear as day, laid out before her.

“Because you love her,” Jess repeated, that warm, understanding look in her eyes. “And, if she’s not a total ass, she loves you, too. I know it.” There was humor there, but also seriousness. Truth as solid and serious as bedrock.

Lena, once again, kicked herself for waiting this long to invite this woman back into her life. She made a vow, then and there, to insure she was never allowed to forget Jess again. Lena turned her hand in her former assistant’s grasp and held her hand back.

“I know you’re scared,” Jess added after a long minute. “But, as someone who would very much like to see you happy, I’ll say this one thing: Take the leap.” She smiled. She beamed. “Take the leap, Lena. Take the leap. Something tells me, if you do, some very toned arms will be there to catch you.”

_Jess, Jess, sweet Jess. What would I do without you?_ Lena thought and it made her smile all the more. What was it about her that, despite so much standing against her, she had so many amazing, wonderful people coming out of the woodwork in support? Maybe Kara was right, all along, maybe Lena had always been good. Maybe this was just proof.

And maybe she deserved to be happy with someone like Kara. Maybe they belonged together. In that moment, Lena really believed, and it, by itself, was the best thing in the world. The rest felt even more than she could hope for.

“Thank you, Jess,” she said at last, breathless, heart ready to beat right out of her chest.

“Any time, Lena,” the woman replied. “I mean it.” She squeezed Lena’s knuckles before sitting back to sip her martini. “So,” she added at last with a conspiratorial raise of an eyebrow. “How are you going to tell her?”

Lena nearly laughed. She had spent so much emotional energy with the question itself she hadn’t bothered figuring out anything past it. “Well,” she sighed. “I’m open to suggestions.”

Jess cradled the glass delicately between her fingers. “I’ve got some ideas.”


	9. Better Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow-up to the previous chapter. Kara realizes she has feelings for a certain raven-haired billionaire but, naturally, has no idea what to do with them. Cue friendly advice!

Kara had a problem. The kind of problem that calling it a “problem” just didn’t quite work, because, oh, was it a problem. 

Now, Kara, being Supergirl, being the last daughter of Krypton, coming to Earth when she was a child, after being trapped in the phantom zone for years, acclimating to life on this planet, with superpowers, and human culture in general, heck, being Cat Grant’s assistant, and surviving longer that anyone before or since, meant she was pretty used to problem-solving. But not this time.

It didn’t help that this problem was of the touchy-feely, relationship-y variety. Granted, she considered herself a pretty open and in-touch-with-her-emotions person, and she had a fairly good track record on helping other people through their relationship conundrums. But, when it came to her own, shall we say, romantic entanglements, well… Her record was spotty, at best. I mean, Cat’s son, James, Mon-El- Ooh, let’s not go down that road.

It also didn’t help that this particular relationship issue involved someone of the feminine, female persuasion. Of course, Krypton had been fairly progressive on that front, miles ahead of certain segments of American society, so it wasn’t like she hadn’t been prepared, somewhat, for the possibility in herself, but Earth was Earth, and these things were important, especially since she had, as of yet, not dated any Earth women.

It also really, really, really didn’t help that the particular feminine, female person she had a romantic, emotional problem with was her best friend, genius, billionaire, former (sort of) nemesis, raven-haired goddess, bites her lip when she’s frustrated but in this really adorable way, like when she’s in the middle of a problem and you can tell she’s getting really into it and-oh Rao, she was doomed!

Kara had feelings for Lena Luthor. Complicated did not begin to describe the issue. 

Again, Kara was no stranger to emotions. When she felt something, she felt it, and, boy, did she feel it. It was all the little things lately. The way she held a wine glass, a coffee cup. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear when she was listening to Kara go on and on about anything. The way she lit up when she was talking about, well, anything. Kara was just obsessed with all the nuances of her.

But Kara was also Kara. She had learned long ago her greatest skill living on Earth was self-control. That applied to physicality as well as emotionality. They had history. Oh, did they. A while ago, the question would have been so thorny, Kara could not have touched it with full, Kryptonite-proof body armor. They had gotten so much better. They had talked. They had fought, a little. They had grown back to where they were before. And then there was this. Then there was more.

But the more Kara thought about it, the more she wondered if it really was more. It this was the next step, or if she was only seeing what had been there before. If they had fought their way back to where they had started before it all fell apart, and, now that all the secrets were out in the open air, they could actually approach the question at all.

That just left the question itself, of course, and how in the world was she going to answer it?

In normal circumstances-Well, as normal as they got for Kara and anyone else in her life-she would go to her friends for advice. But that was another problem. It’s not that she didn’t value her friends’ opinion. That was the whole point, but she kind of figured she already knew what their opinions would be.

James, well, James was better, but James was still James. It didn’t help that Lena and he had history, the complicated kind, or that he and Kara had history. Gosh, that boy got around. He also, while improved, had never been the biggest Lena Luthor fan. Kara having feelings for the woman? Oh, let’s not start on that. Querl was smart. He’d do the math, but Kara knew this wasn’t a numbers game. This wasn’t an answer to be found in a formula. Something told her Brainy knew that, too. J’onn wouldn’t even bother reading her mind but just tell her to follow her heart, and _yeah, I know, J’onn, that’s part of the problem!_ Kelly, sweet Kelly, would give her that loving look, nod politely as she took in every word the blonde said, and then gently ask, “Well, what do you _think_ you should do?” And _dammit, Kelly, go stand in the corner with J’onn and people who are not helping me right now!_ Then there was Alex, her other best friend - sister category. The one person she could always go to, for anything. The person who she had helped in her own, same-sex attraction, relationship quandary. She’d understand, but she’d also be concerned. Not that that was bad. She had always looked out for the Girl of Steel. She’d weigh the options, make sure Kara considered the cons as well as the pros. She’d play devil’s advocate. She’d almost have to. Maybe that’s exactly why Kara couldn’t go to her.

Kara didn’t need a listening ear or a practical point of view as much as she needed someone to tell her she wasn’t crazy, that this, what it could be, what it was, was something she was allowed to feel. She needed validation for the struggle.

Luckily, there was one person who might fit the bill.

* * *

“Nia?” Kara asked quietly and poked her friend’s sleeping form. 

The woman rolled, arm falling over her eyes to block out the mid-morning light. She groaned as Kara poked her gently again. “Fivmormints.”

“Nia?” Kara repeated. She laid a hand on the woman’s shoulder and shook her lightly. 

Nia’s arm dropped away, and her eyes finally blinked open blearily to be greeted by the shining, smiling face of one Kara Danvers.

“AHHHH!” She screamed, naturally.

“It’s just me! It’s just me!” Kara replied.

“Kara?” Nia asked wearily, after she had finished being startled. “What are you…?” She looked around the room for a moment, as if to confirm, yes, she was still in her bedroom. She looked back at the smiling, blonde woman. “Kara, it’s-“ She checked her phone on the nightstand. “8 am. On a Saturday. What the hell are you doing here?”

“Sorry,” Kara said. “I just really needed to talk.”

Nia looked around the room again, once more to confirm that, yes, she was in her bedroom, in her bed, no less, in her pajamas, no less. 

“You can’t knock?”

“I didn’t want to wake your roommate.”

Nia groaned in annoyance. “I think my screaming might have taken care of that.” She looked around Kara, still standing, rather ominously, over her bed. “Did you come in the window?”

Kara nodded matter-of-factly.

Nia’s head flopped down to her pillow. It was entirely too early for whatever this was. Come to think of it: what was this? She turned back to Kara.

“You wanted to talk?” She asked incredulously.

Kara nodded.

“So you barged in my room uninvited, on a Saturday morning?”

Kara gave that a moment’s consideration, then nodded again.

“Any reason we couldn’t talk at work?”

The blonde woman’s face noticeably diminished. Her eyes twitched away. “It’s important,” she practically whispered.

Nia could catch all the signals and knew it was. Still, no one likes being awoken out of a sound sleep, even by someone smiling so big. Especially by someone smiling so big.

“You know, Querl tried this on me once,” she replied. “And I only let him because he brought breakfast burritos.”

Kara glanced down. She held up the bag. Nia considered this, then slid over, threw back her comforter, and motioned for her friend to join her on the bed. Kara did.

“So, am I gonna hear what this big, important thing is?” Nia asked as she peeled back the wrapping and helped herself to a healthy first bite of tortilla, cheese, peppers, and, oh, was that chorizo? Mmm, she must have consulted with Brainy. “Or would you like me to guess?” She added as she chewed.

Kara sighed and locked her fingers together nervously. She fidgeted on the bed beside Nia, who could not help but pick up on every point. She nudged the blonde woman with her shoulder.

“Look, you’re already here,” she laughed. “And you and I have shared some fairly important personal revelations. You can tell me anything. You know that.”

Kara smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”

“The burritos are thanks enough,” Nia replied with a mouthful of breakfast. “Now, out with it, woman.”

Kara sighed again. “It’s, um… Well, it’s sort of a relationship question… problem… thing.”

Nia was immediately interested. She pulled her legs up underneath her and turned bodily towards her friend. “The sappy, romantic kind?”

“The sappiest.”

Nia couldn’t help but grin. “What’s his name?”

“Her,” Kara said. Wow, that came out fast, and so easily. She’d never said that out loud before Had she been holding that in all this time? But there the pronoun was. It floated in the air between them, and it was all Kara could do not to want to snatch it right up and swallow it back.

“Oh,” was all Nia said for the moment. Kara was starting to turn bright red. “Oh,” Nia quickly added, then tried again. “I mean, great. I didn’t know… I mean, it’s okay, of course. It’s more than that. It’s fantastic. Is that… Is that what the problem is? You told me, on Krypton, same-sex attraction was just an option, same as gender-reassignment.”

“It is,” Kara replied. “I mean, it was. I guess still is, on Argo. But I’ve never done it here. I mean not ‘done it’. I mean I’ve never dated an Earth female. Why does that sound so weird to say?”

“Okay. Okay,” Nia soothed as it was clear the Kryptonian had it in her to really get going. “It’s okay. You like a woman. There’s nothing wrong with that. Does Alex know?”

And the look Kara returned spoke volumes. Nia’s eyes went wide. The thought of Kara coming to her, to anyone, before Alex seemed almost heretical.

“Is there a reason you haven’t told her?” Nia had to ask. “Because ladies-liking-ladies is kind of her thing.”

“I can’t,” Kara said back to her. “I want to, but I can’t. Not yet. Not with who it is.”

That caught Nia’s attention immediately. She sat back and took another bite of her burrito, wondering how to proceed from here. But, really, there was only one question. “Who is it?”

Kara’s head dropped to her knees. She groaned. Nia patted her back gently. This was clearly weighing on her. Dreamer tried to think. Her eyebrow raised.

“Is it Kelly?”

“No, it’s not Kelly!” Kara practically exploded. She groaned again and threw her head back to nearly collide with Nia’s headboard. “It’s… complicated.”

Nia nodded and considered the question again. A thought occurred to her. “Is it me?”

The look Kara gave her answered that question entirely. Nia got the point. She settled down nearer to her friend so that their shoulders and hips touched. She pressed against her, hoping the contact would act as a grounding method. It seemed to work. Kara sighed deeply.

“I have to tell you,” she said. “I have to tell someone, or I’m going to explode. But if I tell you.” She held a finger up seriously. “I may just explode anyway, or everything else will. I don’t know.”

Nia nodded along. She waited. Kara breathed.

“I’m… I think I might be… I have feelings for…” she started and stopped several times. Finally, she groaned from deep in her core. “Lena,” she said before grabbing one of Nia’s pillows and gently trying to smother herself.

Nia stared. Her mouth opened. It closed. It opened again. She stared some more. “Oh,” she said. It seemed like the thing to say.

Kara screamed into the pillow. Nia laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Okay,” she said.

“‘Okay’ as in ‘It’s fine’?” Kara asked, voice muffled.

“‘Okay’ as in ‘I’m not really sure what to say yet, but I’m here for you’?” Nia replied.

Kara seemed to take comfort in this. She went back to the pillow.

“Well,” Nia finally spoke, desperate for something to say. “I can see why you haven’t told Alex.”

Kara nodded into the pillow.

“Does _she_ know?”

Kara shook her head into the pillow. Then she lifted it up. “I mean, I don’t know, but I don’t think so,” she said before face-planting into the cushion once more. 

They sat there, on the bed, for some time. Finally, for want of any comfort to offer the blonde, Nia passed the bag over. “Burrito?”

After straight up inhaling a bacon and egg burrito, Kara seemed to have collected herself, somewhat, enough to actually talk.

“I know I’m crazy,” she said.

“You’re not crazy,” Nia replied quickly. “I mean, I’ve seen the woman.” She nudged Kara with a sly grin. The blonde laughed, just a little. “You have feelings. That’s okay. The question is what to do with them.”

“That’s the part I don’t know, Nia,” Kara sighed. She shook her head. “I don’t know. I mean there is just so much to consider.”

“Like what?” Nia said.

“Huh?”

“What’s there to consider?” The young woman asked. “List it out.”

Kara looked down in thought. “Well,” she began. “She’s my best friend, and we know so much about each other. We’ve seen so much of each other, good and bad. Plus, she’s brilliant and gorgeous.” She nodded vigorously. “And she could get like anyone she wanted.”

“All these are kind of sounding like items in the Plus column,” Nia added. Off Kara’s curious look, she went on, counting on her fingers. “You already know each other. You like spending time with each other. You’ve seen one another at your best and worst, and you still care about each other. And, yeah, she’s brilliant and smart and super rich-“

“And gorgeous,” Kara interjected. “Don’t forget gorgeous.”

“Right, gorgeous,” Nia said. She looked at her friend. “But she chose you. All the people she knows, all the powerful movers and shakers, and she still comes to game night.”

“Well, that doesn’t prove anything,” Kara objected. “Game nights are super fun.”

“Game nights are also where you are,” Nia pointed out.

Kara looked down again. The conflict was painted all over her face. “We’ve been through so much.”

“Exactly,” said Nia.

Kara met her eyes in worry.

“You’ve been through so much together,” she went on. “Come back from the brink. You’ve fought for each other. Isn’t that just so obvious that you belong together?”

Kara seemed to take this in. She started to nod. Then her head spun to Nia. “Wait. Are you for this?”

Nia shrugged in reply. “Is it surprising? Yes. Am I against it? No. Do I think you two are super cute together? Definitely. Will I now obsess about your relationship and gush over it constantly? Probably.”

Kara actually laughed at that. “Thanks, Nia. I just… I thought…”

“You thought people would object?”

The blonde nodded. “I don’t know. I thought someone should. Like maybe it was a bad idea.”

“What could be a bad idea about falling in love with your best friend?”

Kara’s eyes went wide. The other L-word had made an appearance, and, though Kara had no objections to its use, it was the first time it had ever been applied to this, by Kara or anyone else. It seemed like a big moment. 

“If it helps,” Nia added. “Pretty sure she’s in love with you, too.”

“Really?” Kara squeaked. It seemed almost too good to be true, and yet it was just like everything else, just sitting there waiting for her to realize it. She loved Lena, and Lena, oh Rao, Lena loved her. Still…

“But, Alex-“

“Alex will get over it,” Nia said, and it was clear from her tone that she agreed there would probably be something for the redhead to get over but that she still would. “Your sister just wants you to be happy. You know that.”

Kara nodded.

“And do you think Lena will make you happy?”

And Kara found herself nodding very assuredly.

“And do you think you will make her happy?”

And that question sent the blonde’s head tilting back to the bed. She stared up at Nia’s ceiling for a full minute. “I want to,” she whispered. “More than anything.”

Nia punched her friend in the shoulder. “Then go get her, you idiot!”

Kara smiled. “Sorry for crashing your Saturday morning.”

Nia only shrugged again. She reached a hand into the bag. “I’m easily bought.”

Kara, meanwhile, stared at the ceiling some more. Everything was very much the same. At the same time, she could have sworn reality had shifted. Like Crisis, but good, so good. There was a whole world of possibility open to her, to the both of them. And, for the first time in a long time, the blonde woman found she was most optimistic at her prospects. One question had been answered. On to the next one.

Kara sat up. “How?” She said suddenly and turned to her friend.

Nia chewed quietly for a moment. “I’ve got some ideas.”


	10. You're My Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's El's 11th birthday and everyone's coming as their favorite heroes. Any guesses as to who she's dressed as?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @nerf asked for more childhood El stories, and I aim to please. Enjoy!

"I just..." Kara started for the thousandth time. "It just seems like a bad idea."

"It's a birthday party, Kara," Lena assured her, also for the thousandth time.

"But, I mean..." the blonde tried, again. She looked down at the work spread out over the table, all the plans their little genius had laid out. Every year, each birthday had a theme. At first, it was Lena and Kara’s idea. Dinosaurs, one year. Outer space, the next. Then El learned to talk and, suddenly, she had nothing but ideas. An underwater party at the aquarium. A circus party with those acrobats Lena hired, where everyone got to learn trapeze. Every year, their little girl managed to outdo herself in inventiveness. Then there was this year. Kara stared at the notepad where El had mapped out her theme and couldn't help the knot of dread in her stomach. "It's superhero themed, Lee.”

"And?" Lena probed as she stuffed another envelope, knowing the answer already.

"And?" Kara fired back. "Aren't you the least bit worried about,” she waved vaguely, “you know?"

"Kara, it's a birthday party," Lena replied, hitting the obvious nail as a way to draw out the real reason. "No one's going to be making any assumptions, and, besides, having the party is just as likely to throw people off the scent."

"It's not that," Kara sighed. She looked down at the invitations, a masterpiece of printing, sporting a glossy, glittered lettering that encouraged attendees to "Come as Your Favorite Hero". She sighed again. "You know who she's going to want to come as.”

Lena looked back at the woman silently. "I have a good idea," she admitted.

"And you think that's okay?" Kara asked worriedly.

Lena sighed. "No," she said and rubbed a hand over Kara's back. "But I don't think it's as big a problem as you're making it."

"It's just..." Kara tried, again. She finally gave up and leaned into her wife's touch as they neared the real issue. "You know I don't like to talk about powers with her."

"I know."

"But she's getting to that age, you know? The same age I was when I landed, and I know it's silly, but, somehow, that feels like a deadline, and, I don't know, it just feels like we're waiting for something, and I hate myself for even thinking it, but you want to give your child every opportunity, right? And here I am just flouting it in her face, and, granted, a million little girls throw on the cape, but this is different, and, Lee, I feel like if I see her in it I'm just going to lose it." She deflated, throwing her head forward to be caught in her hands as the word vomit finally stopped. The invitation fluttered to the table among the couple dozen they were getting ready to mail out.

Lena's fingers dug gently into the woman's muscular back. "Can I ask you something?" Kara nodded. "Would you love her any less if she never got powers?"

The blonde's head shot up immediately. "No, of course not!"

"If she wasn't smart or funny?"

Kara's head shook back and forth vigorously. "Never. I could never love her any less."

"Then what's the problem, Kara?"

And that was the question. Kara took a deep breath. "She wants them, you know she does."

"I know."

"How devastated is she going to be if they never show up?"

Lena nodded. "I'm sure she will be, but disappointment is a part of life. No matter what we do, we can't stop it from ever happening. Even if we could, we wouldn't be doing El any favors by shielding her from all of life's problems."

"I know," Kara said with a small nod.

"And you know what really matters, more than anything."

"That we love her."

"And don't we?" Lena asked as she snaked a hand around her wife's waist, pulling herself into the blonde's shoulder.

"More than anything."

"Then we'll just figure it out," the dark-haired woman said. "Just like everything else." She gave the blonde a reassuring squeeze and a peck on her cheek before going back to stuffing envelopes.

Kara picked up the invitation again. She sighed once more. "I just don't want her to become obsessed with it."

"She's an eleven-year-old," Lena commented. "Everything is an obsession." The CEO allowed herself a smirk before adding, "Just be glad it's this and not boy bands."

That got a rise out of Kara. "Hey!" she intoned. She looked back at the invitation, a twinge of doubt still pecking at her brain. "But aren't we encouraging this?"

"We're not encouraging it, we're just allowing it."

"Isn't allowing it encouraging it?"

Lena could only shrug. "All I know is El has her heart set on it, and you know there's no talking her down from something once she's got it in her head."

"Well, maybe this is the year we buy her a theme park?"

Lena leveled a steady, judgmental gaze at her wife.

"Kara," she replied evenly. "You suggest that every year."

The blonde tried to smile innocently. ”It would certainly distract her."

"I'm not buying El a theme park."

"Just like a small one?"

"No, Kara. We're raising a responsible child, not an entitled brat." And off the puppy-eyed look the blonde was returning, she added, forcefully, "No theme parks."

"Fine," Kara huffed and finally stuffed the invitation in its corresponding envelope. "I gotta say, last year's theme was so much better."

Lena nodded her agreement. "It was certainly inspired."

"Great Scientists of History." El had been quite elaborate in the planning. Two dozen ten-year-olds running around as everything from Robert Ballard to Copernicus was a sight to see. They had served fruit punch out of test tubes with dry ice in the bottom to make it bubble. One of the activities involved each child giving a brief presentation on who they had come as and their contributions to the scientific field. El had dressed up as Marie Curie and given nothing less than a 15-minute lecture, complete with slides, on radiology.

 _Much better than this_ , Kara couldn’t help but think as she picked up another invitation, embossed with a girl in a cape that held a stark resemblance to National City's own hero. But not too much, the designer had insisted, to avoid copyright infringement, and Kara had nearly laughed. _It was nothing_ , she told herself, just like Lena had said. She was making too big a deal out of it. And yet...

"You would tell me if I was screwing her up, right?" Kara asked. She decided the girl on the invitation looked a little too much like her, but with brunette hair. It felt mocking to not just her but El.

Lena looked over at her, suddenly worried.

"If I was just making it worse with Superwoman," Kara continued as she stared at the card stock. "You would tell me, right?"

Lena stared for a moment, then she reached a hand over to take her wife's. "You're not."

"But if I was,” Kara insisted

"But you're not," Lena averred. She followed the blonde's gaze down to the invitations and the figure soaring there, a smile on her face. "Don't look at this as El trying to be something she's not. Look at it as your daughter honoring someone she looks up to, someone who is selfless and brave, someone who inspires so many people."

Kara stared at the embossed card for the longest time. Finally, she nodded. It still felt off, but she decided she could push that aside for her daughter. Lena squeezed her hand.

"Now, come on," the dark-haired woman ordered. "We've got 20 more envelopes to fill."

It was going to be okay, Kara told herself over and over, as the days progressed towards the party. It was going to be okay. It was El's day, and it was going to be fun, and if there was any superpower her and her daughter shared it was throwing a rager of a party.

Still, the hero couldn't shake the feeling of dread at the thought of her little girl stepping out in blue and red, cape thrown dramatically over her shoulder, and, oh Rao, her hands at her hips in the pose. How could Kara see that and not freak?

She tried to convince herself she really was making too big a deal out of it. Lena was right. But, still, she wondered if there weren't a way to prepare for it or, if at all possible, to gently nudge the girl away from the idea. There were other superheroes, after all, female ones, too.

It seemed like a perfectly natural idea, then, to offer to "help" El get her costume, as a way to confirm her suspicions as to her daughter's choice, if nothing else. Thus, it was not a little worrying when El declined the invitation.

"No, thanks," the soon-to-be-12-year-old replied warmly. "Aunt Kelly's helping me out."

And Kara just had to let that slide and suppress the urge to call Kelly up and demand some answers. That really would be taking it too far; a fact her psychologist of a sister-in-law would, no doubt, be ready to point out.

So it was, at last, the day of the party, and while it did promise to be quite a bash, Kara still could not suppress her growing anxiety. She tried to distract herself with preparations. Kara was on decorating while Lena was on food duty. The woman had been busily preparing a veritable mountain of pizza rolls, potstickers, and other finger foods, along with sugar cookies in an array of shapes from lightning bolts to pentagons, all ready to be iced, with an ice cream cake decorated like the Hall of Justice waiting to be delivered. Even Kara had to admit this was going to be cute as she busied herself hanging the backdrop and setting out the props for the superhero selfie booth.

El bustled up the stairs a few minutes later, and Kara nearly gasped until she turned and saw her daughter was still in her regular, everyday clothes. The girl beamed at the decorations and especially the food, reaching a hand to grab a cookie, only to be thwarted by her mother.

"Excuse me," Lena intoned, half-annoyed, half-humorous. "Those are for the party."

El only grinned back. "But I'm the birthday girl?"

To her credit, Lena did not soften immediately under that gaze, but she did soften. "One," she insisted. "Then the birthday girl can wait."

El clapped her hands and stuffed a lightning bolt in her mouth. "Thanks, Mom!" she said as she pecked Lena's cheek, and Lena returned with a peck to the girl's hair. She padded over to where Kara was hanging a streamer. "It looks great, Jeju."

"I'm glad you think so," Kara replied, looking down at the girl. She cleared her throat. "Aren't you going to, you know, change?"

El looked down at her own clothes. "When people start getting here," she replied and looked back up, a broad smile on her face. "It's a surprise."

Kara managed to nod at that before her eyes caught her wife's across the room. Lena seemed to nod that it was going to be okay, and Kara tried to believe it.

Thankfully, she was distracted soon enough when Alex and Kelly walked in, Astrid right behind them. All dressed up. Alex as the Lone Ranger, a costume she most certainly did not pick because it allowed her two plastic pistols to spin at her leisure. Kelly as a doctor in a lab coat, because she felt it was important to highlight “everyday heroes”. And their curly-haired 14-year-old was in her costume, as well, an Army officer dress uniform.

"Astrid!" El exclaimed and barreled towards the girl. "You look so cool!" she added after they were done hugging.

"I know," Astrid replied, running a hand down the uniform. "Pretty neat, right?"

"Totally," El agreed.

"Wow, Kelly," Lena commented as they stepped through the door. "Where did you find dress greens in her size?"

"Believe it or not," Kelly said with an odd cringe. "They're my old set." She patted her daughter on the shoulder. "This girl's growing like a weed."

Astrid only beamed and adjusted the medals pinned to her jacket. Kara, too, marveled at the fit, and the resemblance the girl had in the costume to her own mother, tempted, again, to ask Kelly about another outfit she apparently had helped on, but she ignored the urge again. She instead went with her wife to change into their outfits, matching Sherlock Holmes and Watson costumes, because El had said literary heroes were allowed, and Kara had been obsessed ever since she found the costumes online. Lena had begrudgingly accepted but only if she got to be Holmes. The deerstalker was kind of fetching. It was certainly giving Dr. Watson inappropriate ideas.

Lena slapped Kara’s hand away in its wandering. “Do that when the kids are here,” she told her wife sternly. “And I’m making you play Lestrade.”

Soon, the other guests began arriving. Unsurprisingly, there were quite a few Superwomen, even a couple of Supergirls sporting the, now classic, skirt, a couple of Supermen and Superboys, one being a dad and son combo that really impressed, a Batwoman, even a Flash or two, which Kara snapped photos of to send to Barry, and one kid sporting a bow and arrow, which Kara considered wistfully and promised to send a picture to Felicity. El greeted each as they came in until almost the full guest list had arrived. Soon enough, the birthday girl dashed away to make her own costume change, and Kara prepared herself with a drink among the other parents.

It was going to be a good party, she told herself. El was going to have fun. That's all that mattered. She repeated it over and over until she heard shoes pad up the stairs. She took a deep inhale and watched her daughter step out into the living room. Then all the breath went out from the blonde's body.

There was no cape. No red and blue. No House of El symbol. What there was was El in the most unexpected, yet perfect, hero costume.

Kara reached around blindly for her wife, busy setting out the last of the refreshments. "Lena. Lena. Lena!" she called, eyes fixed on the girl. Her hand finally found the woman and she spun her by the hat a little too forcibly.

"Kara, what are you-?” Lena replied, catching her pipe as it was nearly thrown out of her mouth Then she stared as well, dumbfounded.

El was not in a superhero's costume. Then again, maybe she was. The 12-year-old was dressed in a pantsuit, almost a little too big for her, but what could they have found to fit a child that wouldn't look jokey? And the girl clearly wanted to look serious. She was wearing heels, sensible for her growing frame but still obviously meant to be heels. What sold the look however was her hair, pulled back and slicked down to a tight bun sitting high on the crown of her head.

Lena gasped. The other parents followed her gaze and each expressed their own surprise, touched by the gesture. Lena could only stare, hand over her mouth. Kara looked over at Kelly who smiled.

"I was sworn to secrecy," she said as Alex put an arm around her proudly.

The girl stepped over towards her Mom. She smiled and spread her arms out. "Do you like it?" she asked.

And Lena had only tears. "Come here, you beautiful, beautiful girl," she sobbed.

She wrapped the child up in a tight hug, heedless of the overt, and possibly embarrassing, display of affection. She pressed her lips against her daughter's hair. El reached up and whispered something her ear. Lena leaned back. The girl tugged at the dress shirt and motioned to something. Lena nearly burst into laughter before covering the girl's face in kisses.

At last, she let her go, turning quickly to plant a kiss on her wife's cheek before excusing herself to reapply her makeup. Kara watched her go and beamed. To think, she had been so worried about being devastated, and here the girl had surprised them all, and left them just as affected. She helped herself to a cookie with glee.

There was a tap on her shoulder. When Kara turned it was to El. Up close, the costume and hair only enhanced the girl's already significant resemblance to her Mom. The blonde had to do a double take.

Kara smiled and poked playfully at the suit jacket. "This is very cool, little one," she said.

El smiled before looking to either side, conspiratorially. She motioned for her Jeju to come closer. The woman leaned in as El undid the top button of her dress shirt. Her hands pulled either lapel to the side revealing a T-shirt underneath with a very recognizable S-shaped symbol. Kara goggled in disbelief.

"Does your Mom know?" she asked, meeting her daughter's gaze.

El nodded, and suddenly Lena's laughter made sense. The girl bit her lip. "I wanted to make sure I got both of you," she said quietly.

Oh, yes, Kara was certainly not prepared for that. A part of her wanted to be worried, but, in that moment, it suddenly didn't matter. It was just like Lena had said: this wasn't a cause for alarm. It was a gift. Something precious and beautiful, just like the girl giving it.

Kara set her drink down and cradled her daughter's face in her hands. "You're the best damn kid on the planet," she said as tears welled in her eyes. "Did you know that?"

El blushed in reply. "I love you, Jeju," she said.

Kara wrapped the girl up and let a tear fall in her hair. She wiped it away and planted a kiss in its place. She had been right, too: she couldn't love her any more. She let the girl go and gently shoved her back towards her party. Lena reappeared a minute later, makeup intact, but eyes still full of emotion. Kara wrapped an arm around her.

"We did good, didn't we?" she said, suddenly unworried about the future.

"The best," Lena replied.


	11. Best Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's confession time. Lena likes Kara. Kara likes Lena. Now, if only they would tell each other that.   
> And with the help of their friends, they just might.

Ways to confess your love to someone:

1\. Over dinner.

Pros: Candlelight, soft music, good food, proximity to lips in case it goes well.

Cons: In-person, alone, proximity to intense awkwardness in case it goes badly.

2\. Handwritten letter.

Pros: Classic, shows thoughtfulness and creativity, allows you a buffer against possible rejection.

Cons: Look like a coward because you couldn't do it in-person, the agony of waiting for a response, what if it gets lost in the mail?

3\. Flash mob.

Pros: Memorable, fun, surprising, imminently youtube-able.

Cons: Coordination required, also you have to tell a bunch of other people you're in love with this person, and, oh, what if they say "no" and you have to face that absolutely mortifying ordeal?

Ways to confess your love to someone when you are an intelligent, capable person but also kind of an idiot because love can do that to people:

1\. ...

* * *

Lena was smart. She was capable. She had stared down boardrooms full of misogynistic fat cats and deadly assassins without breaking a sweat or a nail. She was also completely smitten with one Kara Danvers, which is probably why it was taking her so long to up and tell the woman that.

When Jess had agreed to help her former boss confess her affections to a certain blonde, CatCo reporter with a surprisingly toned physique for someone who scarfs down donuts a half-dozen at a time, it was without a shred of hesitation. Lena hadn't really even asked her; Jess was already on board. And though complex and certainly daunting a task, the former assistant approached the issue with all the dedication and capability she had leveraged when she was in charge of Ms. Luthor's appointments.

_After all,_ she told herself, I _t really was just an issue of scheduling._ Right place. Right time.

They had gone through some options as far as "confessions" and settled on dinner. It was a classic, after all. Get two people alone, in a room, (with good food, because it was Kara), and let the words flow and the magic happen. There were other ways, but those had quickly been nixed by Lena as cumbersome to the point of embarrassment. So, all Jess really had to do was get these crazy kids to sit down over candlelight.

That, however, was proving to be a real challenge. Lena, naturally, had her share of demands on her time, but those could, for the most part, be moved. It was amazing what a strong business woman could set aside when she actually got her priorities in order. Kara's schedule, Jess had assumed, would be less of an issue, but, it seemed, the reporter was also running herself ragged at all hours. Nailing down a time for Lena to suggest, "Hey, why don't we get dinner together" was something of a nightmare, and, even when they had gotten a date and time set, invariably Jess would get a call that the whole thing was off due to Kara having to cancel last minute.

It was enough for the woman to wonder if the world was out to get these two. If, in some classic, Greek drama way, the prospect of a love so pure was simply too much to hope for, and fate couldn't help but conspire against it.

Jess, however, was a very good assistant, and, working for a Luthor, especially Lena Luthor, had long since taught her that fate would have to make an appointment because it most certainly did not run this show. She did.

So, Jess stared at a carefully-curated calendar and pondered the best way to beat fate at its own game. Keeping up with Lena's schedule, especially when she had first taken over L-Corp had been a boot camp in time management. The skills Jess had learned there had practically launched her career. Appointments, board meetings, virtual conferences, she had kept track of them all. This, however, she was rather proud of, and not just for the sentimental value. The color-coded brackets for Lena and Kara's schedule, with related shades for each depicting personal and professional responsibilities, were so dreamy it almost made her wish someone else was here to admire it.

Within the twisting, Gordian knot of both women's interconnecting lives, she had already identified a handful of possible days within the next month that might work. Lena and Kara had regular lunch dates, which could easily serve, but Ms. Luthor had been quite insistent whatever happens happen at night, over dinner, as that just seemed more appropriate. The woman was nothing if not serious, but Jess always knew she had a romantic streak in her. That meant evenings, evenings, preferably, where a lunch date had not happened earlier, as that just made it all the more special, and the less likely that the surprise might be spoiled.

_Because it should be a surprise, right? I mean, it's surprising, or maybe not. Maybe she knows, but the confession will be surprising. I mean, she can't be expecting it, can she? Because it should be special, shouldn't it? And Kara loves surprises. Although, this is less like a birthday and more like a... More like something I don't have a metaphor for, and am I being crazy? No, no, it should special. It should be. Kara deserves special. Kara deserves something special. It will be, won't it? What if-_

_Lena, please sit down. You're pacing again._

Jess stared at the calendar more, hoping to divine the answer from it like some magic eye puzzle. In the end, she knew, for all her scheduling prowess, she could find the perfect time, the perfect night, the perfect lighting, the perfect mood, but nothing could stop that last minute mix-up, or Lena losing her nerve. In the end, something, or nothing, could spell the doom of all her planning.

She sighed. What was an assistant to do it? And, make no mistake, she was Lena's assistant. Her love assistant, which granted sounds, on the surface, like something else entirely, but she took her job seriously, both as Ms. Luthor's former, real assistant and as her friend. So sue her, she shipped Kara and Lena. They were cute together. Also, they seemed good for each other. She was determined to make this happen. But how?

And, as all the numbers, dates, and times and so on, began to bleed together, Jess was reminded of math, the kind of math Lena was very good at. What was it she had said once? When you're trying to balance an equation and hit a block, work at it from the other side. Because that was the real issue here. She was only working half the equation. Lena's side, but there was another half. She was fairly certain Kara returned Lena's affection. I mean, the woman wasn't blind. What's to say Jess was the only one working the problem? What's to say the blonde wasn't thinking about this as well? And what's to say she hadn't asked for assistance, too?

Jess turned to her computer and pulled up a list Lena had given her of her and Kara's mutual friends and acquaintances. She ran down the list, pulling out names and cross-referencing them against what she knew about each person. Jess was a very good assistant, after all, and it helped to have data, especially with a problem this big. Thus, it wasn't long before she narrowed it down to one name.

* * *

Being a millennial working in an office typically meant two things: 1. Everyone came to you when they couldn't figure out their computers. 2. Everyone came to you when they couldn't figure out memes. 

That's probably why Nia was currently editing an article written by one of her colleagues in an attempt to make it more appealing to the "young people", (yes, he had used that wording), you know, #Relatable, (yes, he had made the hashtag with his fingers, and thought he was so cool for doing so). She was in the middle of an internal debate on whether it was worth the effort to explain to a senior reporter why Pepe the Frog was not a good addition to his article on race relations or if she should just replace every one of his suggested memes and tell him "Trust me, Carl. I mean it", when a figure approached her workspace.

"Nia Nal?" A voice asked.

Nia turned to look up at a bespectacled, asian woman, professionally dressed, standing by her desk.

"Yes?" the young woman responded.

"Hi, I'm Jess," the woman said, offering a hand. "I'm a friend of Lena's."

Nia took the hand with some hesitation, her brain misfiring for a moment. "Oh," she said when the wires finally crossed. She pointed at the woman. "Assistant Jess?"

"One and the same," Jess said with a laugh.

"Hi," Nia replied, still somewhat confused at the woman’s presence. "What brings you to CatCo?" She looked around the newsroom. "I don't think I've seen Lena on the floor today?"

"Actually, I'm here to see you."

Now, Nia was quite confused. "Okay," she stammered slightly. "What can I do for you?"

"You mind if I sit?" Jess asked. Nia nodded, and the woman grabbed a nearby desk chair. She sat and gave the young woman a considerate stare. She smiled. "I'm going to try and be direct, so forgive me if this sounds like passing notes in home room."

Nia raised an eyebrow, still unsure what this was all about but intrigued enough to listen.

"I have a friend," Jess said after a moment's pause. "And you have a friend. My friend likes your friend, and I'm pretty sure your friend likes mine."

Nia did not have what you might call a poker face, so Jess knew pretty quickly she was on the right track.

"I've been trying to help my friend tell your friend how she feels," Jess added. She smirked as her eyes caught something to the side. "And I think you might be helping your friend do the same. Am I right?"

Nia gulped. She tried to busy her hands as if this idea was completely new to her and she simply did not know what to do with it. She gulped again.

"I, uh..." she started. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. I have many friends." As comebacks go, it wasn't great, but it felt logical enough to work.

"I'm talking about one specifically," Jess said, taking not a little pleasure in needling the woman. "Blonde, glasses, surprisingly toned arms, healthy appetite, has a thing for dark-haired, green-eyed, genius billionaires who are also drop-dead gorgeous."

Nia gulped again. She fumbled with a pen for something to do. "I, uh... I mean, even if I knew someone who might fit that description, I would certainly not want to betray her trust."

"Of course not," Jess agreed. "But seeing as how I've already figured it out, what would be the harm?"

"I... don't... know," Nia said. She swallowed and tried to regain some of her resolve. "I mean, what would even give you the idea that I would have anything to do with anything like that?"

"Well," Jess smiled. "Let's just say I'm a very good assistant, something of a detective, and I'm pretty sure that binder on your desk over there says, 'Kara and Lena - Master Plan.'"

There was a rapid bit of fumbling as Nia grabbed and shoved said binder into a drawer before slamming it closed, rather loudly, then leaning against her desk nonchalantly as if that entire scene hadn't just happened. The young woman cleared her throat.

"That," she stated, tapping her desk. "Is for a different Kara and Lena."

Jess could only smile. She slid her chair closer. "Listen," she said quietly. "I care about my friend, and you, obviously, care about yours. It's clear as day how into each other they are, and how adorably cute they would be as a couple. And they may be smart people, but love makes idiots of us all. So, why don't you and I help our adorable, idiot friends?”

Nia considered this for a moment. She had to admit she had hit a bit of a wall on the whole “confession of love” front. Scheduling was hard, especially when one person ran a company and the other was a superhero. Especially when said superhero kept shooting down her completely inspired plans because “it would never work” and “flash mobs are so 2010.” She also had to admit she really wanted this to work for the both of them. They were adorable idiots.

Nia took a breath. “Assuming,” she said. “That I do know what you’re talking about. What sort of ideas might you have?”

Jess’s mouth twitched into a smile. She reached into her bag and pulled out a file. She set it on Nia’s desk, where the young woman could read “Lena and Kara - Master Plan” on the tab.

* * *

Lena’s day hadn’t been going her way. Delayed projects, rescheduled meetings, and a board member who was pestering her about a particular aspect of next year’s budget. All in all, it was enough to make her want to punt something out the window of her office, or someone. The only good news was that it was almost over. Just one last appointment and then it was back to her penthouse for some much comfier clothes or, preferably, nothing at all as she took a long, hot soak in her tub. 

Thus, when the door to her office opened, she expected to see an overseas investor walk through. She did not expect her friend and former assistant holding a garment bag.

“Jess?” She asked.

“I took the liberty of moving your 6:00,” she said.

Lena’s eyebrow twitched up. 

“I like to think I still remember how to tell the difference between the important meetings that are actually important and the ones that are just there for face value,” Jess added. 

“Thank you?” Lena replied puzzled. “Jess, you’re not my assistant anymore. I appreciate the thought, but I don’t expect you to clear my schedule when you think I need a break.”

“I know,” the woman said. “But there was something more important.”

“What?”

Jess held up the garment bag. “It’s go time.”

It had been a long day, so it took Lena a moment to recognize the signal. When she did, her eyes went wide, and her whole body stiffened. “Tonight?”

Jess nodded. “Tonight.”

“But… but…” Lena stammered. “I haven’t talked to Kara all day. I can’t just spring dinner on her. What if she’s busy?”

“She’s not,” Jess replied and, when Lena gave her a questioning look, added, “I took the liberty of texting her earlier today. From your phone. She’s free and is going to meet you at the restaurant.”

Lena’s mouth hung open. “Jess, since when do you have access to my phone?”

Jess smirked. “Ms. Luthor, we both know the answer to that question. Now come on.” She shook the garment bag. “Your reservation’s at 7:30, and I need you looking damn sexy.”

Lena rose timidly from behind her desk. The whole affair, the prospect, the idea of it, and it being so close, had turned the commanding woman into a shaky-kneed school girl about to meet her crush. She crossed the room towards Jess. She tried to breathe. Her former assistant handed her the garment bag and squeezed her arm reassuringly.

Lena shook her head. “I have to go home,” she said. “I don’t have…”

She stopped when Jess held up her other hand, holding a sizable case. “I brought the works,” she said. “I’m thinking loose curls and that Burgundy lipstick you look so good in.”

Lena had to laugh. She didn’t have to ask but unzipped the garment bag and found it contained a dress Lena had not worn in a while but was the exact one that, had she had the time and mental energy to think, she would have picked, an off-the-shoulder number, in black, that she had worn to a gala, with Kara. She glanced at her friend, the mindreader. Jess smiled.

“I was also thinking,” she said, motioning to the dress. “Shoulders and boobs.” She nudged her former boss to the ensuite. “Come on. We’ve got work to do.”

* * *

No rest for the weary, as they say, and Kara was feeling it. Between several deadlines for stories that, she could have sworn, she had totally been on top of a day ago and some side work that required super intervention, she was starting to feel like this day wouldn’t end. Thankfully, soon, it would. That is to say, after a quick patrol of the city, which she prayed would not reveal any world-takeover plots that she would need to foil so she could just go home, change into her pajamas, and eat. Everything.

She was finishing up a last bit of work when her editor dropped some rewrites on her desk, threatening her actually leaving her desk at all. A quick scan revealed the deadlines were not for at least a day. She could let these slide until tomorrow. _Work-life boundaries_ , she told herself. _Wasn’t that what Alex was always talking about, the hypocrite?_ She had a life, after all.

And it was about to come barging in the door. 

Kara was barely up from her chair when there was a knock. She turned to see Nia standing in her office doorway. Kara couldn’t help but sigh. It was always nice to see her friend and mentee, but it had been a long day.

“Nia,” she said quickly. “I am on my way out. If it can’t wait, please make it quick.”

Nia only nodded knowingly and held up a couple of fingers. “Two words,” she said and counted them out. “Mission Impossible.”

Kara stopped, mid-step. The codeword took a second to ring in her brain. Her eyes went wide. “When?”

“Now.”

“NOW?!” The blonde practically screamed.

“Yes, now,” Nia repeated.

“But… I…” Kara tried, looking around her as if the excuse was lying on the floor. “I haven’t talked to Lena.” She was starting to panic. “I haven’t even practiced the dance moves!”

“We’re not doing the dance,” Nia assured her, stepping into the office and closing the door behind her. “We’re doing dinner.”

“Dinner?” Kara asked. “When did I ask her to dinner?”

“I did,” Nia replied. “On your behalf.”

Kara raised a knowing eyebrow. Good sense forced her to ask, “How?”

“Email,” said the young woman, and before Kara could ask again, “Brainy may or may not have access to your computer.”

“Brainy knows about this?”

“No, I just asked him to get me access to your email.” Off Kara’s look of mild annoyance, she quickly added, “It’s for love!” Before shoving a bag into Kara’s arms.

The blonde looked down at a garment bag. She instinctively unzipped it to see the dress inside, a dress she owned.

“How?”

“I know where the spare key to your apartment is,” Nia answered for her.

“How?” Kara asked louder.

Nia only laughed. “Oh, please.” She prodded the reporter. “Now, come on, your reservation’s at 7:30, and you have to look damn sexy.”

Kara’s mouth opened, then shut. She glanced down at her current work attire. Not runway worthy, certainly, but she was a little put off. Nia answered by shoving a makeup bag in her hands.

“You want me to help,” she said, and Kara heard the tone.

“That wasn’t a question, was it?” She asked.

Nia shook her head. “No, it was not.” She pointed the blonde towards her chair.

Kara began to follow dutifully. She froze and spun back. “What about the city? I have to patrol.”

“Already taken care,” Nia said. “I called in a favor with J’onn.”

“J’onn knows about this?” Kara nearly yelled again.

“No, I just asked him for a favor,” Nia answered. “He’s going to patrol tonight.”

“What about the DEO?” Kara asked, unable to not look for any and all excuses. “I have to tell Alex I won’t be available.”

“I talked to her.”

“ALEX KNOWS ABOUT THIS?” She did yell that time.

“No,” Nia said in calm tones. “I just told her you were busy and J’onn is on call. Now, sit down. True love awaits.”

* * *

Lena tried to breathe. She could, but her heart was fluttering in that way that said she was right on the edge with anticipation. She could hardly be blamed, the next hour, the next ten minutes, for all she knew, could significantly change her and Kara’s relationship. She tried to focus on the positive, but business had, sadly, made her too much of a realist. So she tried to focus on breathing.

Jess laid a calm hand on hers as the car rolled on towards the restaurant. The woman nodded slowly with Lena, helping ground her breathing with the steady motion.

Lena nodded back. She looked forward, out the window and into the night. “It’s going to be…” she started to ask but couldn’t. “Fine” seemed all wrong. “Perfect” was too much. She couldn’t quite find something in between.

“It’s going to be great,” Jess completed for her. “You remember what you’re going to say?”

Lena nodded. “‘Good evening. How was your day? You look lovely tonight.’”

Jess chuckled. “Lead with that last line. Then just let her have it.”

Lena nodded. They pulled to a stop in front of the restaurant entrance. The driver stepped out and opened the door. Lena hesitated. She took a last look back at Jess, who nodded and squeezed her arm.

“Speak from the heart,” she said. “You can’t go wrong.” And with that, she gently pushed the woman out of the car. She watched her go, then fired off a quick text.

_The eagle has landed_.

Lena stepped inside as a maitre’d held open the door. “Ms. Luthor,” he said with a warm smile and a bow. “So lovely to have you with us this evening. Your table awaits.”

The man led her to an elevator that led to a rooftop dining area that was gently lit and opened on a stunning view of the skyline in the deepening evening. A rooftop dining area that was completely empty but for one table. Lena nearly laughed out loud. She knew she could thank Jess for that.

* * *

Nia put the last touches on Kara’s hair in the Lyft. They had been making okay time, until someone realized that she usually factored flight into her travel times and that was not going to be happening tonight, not after the work Nia had put into her hair and makeup. The brunette was just about done when her phone chimed. She managed to surreptitiously check it without alerting Kara, who was much too nervous in thought over what she was headed towards. Nia smiled to herself and shoved her phone back in her pocket. The car pulled up and she clambered out of it with Kara, adjusting the woman’s dress as she did.

“Ready?” She asked, though that was entirely the wrong thing to ask.

Kara still nodded.

“You remember what you’re going to say?”

Kara nodded, then shook her head.

“‘You look gorgeous.’”

“Yes!” Kara replied. “You look gorgeous. Because she’s going to, right? I mean she always looks gorgeous.”

“That’s right,” Nia assured her. “Now get in there.”

Kara nodded and took a step towards the door. She turned on her heel and took a step away from it. With a fluid motion, Nia grabbed her friend by the shoulder and spun her back towards the restaurant. With a forceful shove, she sent the blonde to her destiny.

“Thanks,” the Super said over her shoulder.

A man opened the door for Kara. “Ms. Danvers,” he said. “So nice to have you with us this evening.”

The blonde woman gave a confused smile back but followed him inside and up an elevator. When she emerged onto the rooftop, she was immediately caught by the stunning view, the warm, twinkle lights, and the lone occupant standing by a solitary table. Kara stared. Lena stared. Finally, Kara took a step towards the dark-haired woman.

"You look lovely tonight,” Lena said. The words nearly tumbling out.

“You look gorgeous,” Kara said almost solemnly. “You always do.”

Then Lena smiled. Then Kara smiled, because Lena was smiling. And, for a while, it was just that, just the two of them basking in the warmth of that thing there was between them but neither had yet named aloud yet so desperately hoped to before too long.

“Shall we sit?” Lena finally asked. Kara almost jumped, as if dinner had suddenly become an afterthought. In those green eyes, of course, it really seemed to be.

They sat. A waiter appeared, bearing champagne. Neither woman commented on that, on the waiter’s appearance, the odd choice of drinks, or the fact that they were the only ones in the entire restaurant. Neither said a word, both trying to build up the courage to say the thing they were here to say at all, both nearly shaking with the anticipation.

Kara cleared her throat, trying to stay clam, to act nonchalantly. “Thanks for answering my email,” she said and felt particularly proud for recalling that fact.

Lena raised an eyebrow. “Text,” she corrected.

“Huh?” Said Kara.

“I texted you,” Lena added.

“No, I emailed you,” replied Kara, though unconvinced, because, of course, she hadn’t actually.

Lena’s mouth opened and froze. As the realization dawned, she smiled, bigger and bigger. Kara watched with confusion, ready to fire back that she most certainly had emailed the woman, until it occurred to her, too, what was actually going on.

They stared and smiled. Somehow, it was already there. Maybe that was the point. Saying it had suddenly become an afterthought. But some things deserve to be said.

“Lena,” said Kara.

“Kara,” said Lena.

“You want to go first or do you want me too?” The blonde asked.

Lena laughed. “Does it matter?”

Kara started to shake her head, then she nodded. “I think so,” she admitted, still smiling. “I get the feeling we’re going to be telling this story the rest of our lives. It feels like we should get our facts straight.”

And Lena’s eyes welled. She wasn’t sure if it was the tone or the endearing sincerity of the blonde woman, but she decided it was probably the phrase “the rest of our lives” and the feelings it brought up inside of her, the realization that the idea held nothing but sweet promise for her.

“In that case,” Lena said softly, her voice low, her fingers reaching across the table to interlace with Kara’s. “Maybe we don’t say it, just for a little while. Maybe we just sit in the reality of it. I don’t know about you, but it’s a relief to finally know.”

Kara’s palm pressed against the dark-haired woman’s. She nodded, almost vigorously. “Me, too.”

The night grew silent around them, the evening settling in, but to both women it seemed warm as noon day. Lena lifted her glass and clinked it with Kara’s. They drank a silent toast. To this. To the wonderfulness of it all. Talking would come, words would come, retelling, all the questions, all the answers, all the ups and downs and fears and joys, but always this, and to this they held onto. They held onto each other.

Lena finally broke the silence. Curiosity getting the better of her. “Who helped you?” She asked with a tip of her glass to the blonde woman.

Kara looked down for a moment. “Nia,” she admitted bashfully. “Who helped you?”

“Jess.”

“Jess?!” Kara exclaimed. “You called Jess? That’s awesome! I love Jess. I miss Jess.”

Lena chuckled. “Well, remind me to give you her number. She certainly deserves the thanks. I know I owe Nia one.”

“Later,” Kara said.

“Later,” Lena agreed.

They stared some more. The lighting was beautiful, but they only noted how it looked in each other’s eyes.

“I think I’m ready to say it,” Kara finally spoke.

“Me, too,” said Lena.

They clasped their hands tighter and lost themselves in the other’s eyes.

“I’m in love with you.”

“I’m in love with you.”

Later, when they retold this story, again and again, no one who heard it could ever get straight who said it first. It kept changing with the retelling. Some thought it must have been both at the same time. In the end, only two other people knew the truth. The same two who had been instrumental in making this night happen.

The same two who just so happened to be watching through a laptop screen in the car parked on the street downstairs.

“They are adorable idiots,” Nia commented. “Pass the popcorn.”

Jess happily passed the bowl over. Both women’s eyes were glued to the screen with the hidden camera footage, showing their friends at the table, hand-in-hand and lost in each other’s eyes.

“The most adorable,” Jess commented with a heartfelt sigh. 

“Good job with the hair, by the way,” Nia added. 

“Same to you,” answered Jess. 

“I still think a flash mob would have worked.”

“A flash mob would have been way too much. Simpler is better, especially in matters of the heart.” Jess motioned to the screen. “Was I wrong?

Nia grumbled but begrudgingly nodded. “I’m just saying. It would have been so much fun.”

Jess only shook her head. “All we needed was to get them in the same room and let the magic happen. Who’s idea was it to tell them about the email and the text thing?”

“Yours,” Nia admitted. She pointed at the screen. “But, hey, the twinkle lights were my idea!”

“The decorations were inspired,” Jess replied. “But, in the end, what they needed most was each other.”

That Nia could readily admit to, with a wistful sigh of her own. “Adorable idiots.”

“Adorable idiots.” They watched the scene a bit longer. Jess glanced at her partner-in-crime. “If I wasn’t convinced before, I certainly am now. This would not have happened without your help.” She offered a hand. “Ms. Nal, it truly has been a pleasure.”

“Likewise.” Nia readily accepted the gesture. She grinned. “Got any other friends we could set up?”

Jess grimaced, flashing back to the amount of work she had put in to get here. “I don’t think we should tempt fate. Besides,” she motioned to the couple on the screen. “Now we have to plan the wedding.”

“True!” Nia said with excitement.

They turned back to their friends, still locked in each other’s gaze. Nia passed over the popcorn. Her brow suddenly furrowed.

“It’s not weird that we’re watching this, is it?” She asked hesitantly.

Jess replied, also hesitantly. “No.” She glanced between the screen and her companion. “We’re just making sure it all goes okay.”

Nia nodded her agreement to that as an excuse.

“We’ll stop watching if they start making out,” Jess added.

“If?” Nia intoned. “Don’t you mean ‘when’?”

Jess shook her head. “Oh, no, I know my girl. It’s a chaste kiss on the lips. There’s no need to rush things.”

“Rush things?!” Nia exclaimed. “They’ve been playing will-they-won’t-they forever!” She glared at Jess. “Ten bucks says they’re sucking face before dessert.”

Jess narrowed her eyes back at her. “I’ll take that action.”

They turned back to the screen and continued to watch. Lena was laughing at something Kara was saying. It was tremendously cute.

“So, the wedding,” Nia said conversationally. “I’m thinking the beach. The shores of Oahu at sunset.”

Jess grimaced. “Destination weddings are so gauche.”

“Will you dream for five minutes, please?!” The woman replied exasperated.

While downstairs, the two women debated the finer points of wedding party colors, upstairs, Lena and Kara laughed on into the night. In a way, it was the start of something wonderful. At the same time, it was merely the next step in something that had been growing for some time, only now named, only now shared in the open. Either way, it promised to be something that would changed both of them, for the infinitely better.

Also, Nia won the bet.


	12. Little Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El loses her favorite stuffed animal, and Kara has... a reaction.  
> A story about lost things and how we learn to live without them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might seem odd, but this was a very personal story for me to write. I've always had this fear that, should I ever have kids, I'm going to freak out the first time they lose a toy or get hurt. This ended up being very cathartic for me, and I hope for you, too.

Theodore J. McScrumbletop was the bestest friend or stuffie a little girl could ask for. Neither Lena nor Kara could remember who had bought him or what store he had come from, only that their daughter adored the stuffed bear and absolutely could not go to sleep unless Theodore, (full name, always, as the girl reminded them he hated being called “teddy” even if he was one), was by her side. 

Theodore was, by no means, the only stuffed animal in the 5-year-old’s collection. Indeed, she had quite the menagerie of comfy companions as both of her mothers, and quite a few of her extended family, were in the habit of gifting them to the adorable, little girl after having seen a cloth-covered unicorn or doggy in a shop and being unable to resist the urge to buy it immediately because come-on-I-had-to-she-would-look-so-cute-with-it. The cuddle congress took up a good portion of the girl’s bedroom, each with their own, set-aside spots and absolutely charming names, as the child had already shown something of a talent for creativity in that department. Still, Theodore was chief, the most ardently adored. An ever-present object of affection, stalwart, and absorbent, recipient of tears, unmatched comforter.

Which was why it was so devastating, one day, while Kara was spending the afternoon with her daughter, that they came back to the penthouse and Theodore was not with them. 

Lena knew something was wrong when she came home some hours later to an apartment turned upside down. Literally in certain spots. The dark-haired woman stood in the entryway and stared. Years of marriage to an alien, not just any alien, even, but Superwoman herself, had taught her to expect the unexpected. That, coupled with far too many years growing up as a Luthor, meant she wasn’t likely to “freak out” at the sight of something like this. It wasn’t the first time she had come home to find the penthouse in shambles, especially after Kara had taken El for the day. The blonde was nothing if not a creative, and indulgent, parent, and, while Lena had her own fun mom moments, it was hard, sometimes to compete. Like when Jeju had turned the living room into a game show-style gauntlet and let El tumble and climb over the couch dodging nerf rockets. 

Still, this seemed like a mess that was a little less purposeful. The CEO slowly removed her heels, setting them by the door, and collected herself, trying to shift gears from business to home before she dove into whatever this was. Finally she stepped into the apartment proper and made a concerted effort to find her wife. After a minute, when she couldn’t, she moved on to step 2 of crisis management.

“Kara?” She called out. The dull sound of something large being dropped onto the floor came out of the bedroom, followed shortly by a blonde woman. Lena smiled, then stopped. She couldn’t help the worried look that grew on her face as she caught sight of her wife. Kara was looking particularly frazzled. It was her eyes, though, that really alarmed the dark-haired woman. They were frantic, panicked, alarmed. “Kara?” Lena repeated. She tried to be gentle, soothing, but couldn’t stop the quickening of her own heart at the sight. “What’s going on?”

Kara looked away suddenly. Lena quickly crossed the distance between them and tried to catch the blonde’s gaze.

“Kara, what happened?” She searched the woman’s face. “Where’s El?”

The shudder that went through the Kryptonian finally set the Luthor on edge, throwing out whatever semblance of collected response she had going for her.

“Where’s El?” She repeated more seriously. “Is she okay? What’s happened?”

“She’s downstairs,” Kara finally replied with an explosive exhalation of breath. “She’s in her room.”

Lena nodded but kept staring at her wife. “What happened?” She asked again.

The blonde combed a shaky hand through her hair. She was breathing hard, practically hyperventilating, which was even more alarming considering her physiology. Lena stepped closer, threading a hand softly up her wife’s arm, trying to ground the woman.

“What happened?” She whispered. “Is El okay?” She added more solidly.

“She’s fine. She’s fine,” Kara said with the slightest of sobs. She shook her head, letting out another hard breath, finally collecting herself enough to really reply. “We lost Theodore.”

Lena considered this for a moment. Her brain, deep in crisis mode, had to take a moment to process the information. She let herself ramp down from red alert. It was by no means good news, but it wasn’t the worst.

“Okay,” she said with noticeable relief. Still, this was crisis mode, if a toddler version of it. “Oh no,” she added calmly though sincerely. 

The overturned apartment suddenly made sense. The loss of Theodore, indeed the stuffie’s position in the greater ecology of the Danvers-Luthor family, was not to be discounted. Momentary lapses in his presence had caused the delay of more than one bedtime thanks to an inconsolable little girl with tears that could melt either woman’s heart in an instant. 

“Where did you last have him?” The dark-haired woman asked.

Kara’s head darted around as she stepped out of the bedroom doorway into the living room. Lena managed to glance behind her to see their room as upended as the rest of the house. The mattress, especially, seemed askew, as if someone had decided to look underneath by lifting the whole thing, box spring and all, into the air. The blonde shook her head again.

“Before her nap, I think,” Kara replied, though she was clearly unsure. “I mean, she had to, right? Because she wouldn’t have gone to sleep without him, would she?” The woman turned back towards Lena, that frantic look still in her eyes. “But… I don’t remember. Was he even in the car when we came back from the park?” She shook her head once more and turned back to the living room. She stomped quickly over to the couch and lifted it up without a thought, tilting the sectional haphazardly as if it weighed nothing at all.

“Kara!” Lena called after her in shock. She motioned to the apartment. “Clearly you’ve looked thoroughly in here. Have you checked El’s room?”

“Yes!” Kara exclaimed as she spun around, almost furious now. “I’ve checked! Multiple times. I’ve checked both floors, the office, the bathrooms. I’ve x-rayed the walls! I can’t find him!”

Lena felt herself step gingerly towards the frenzied woman, a hand held gently out to her. “Kara,” she repeated, somewhat chiding. “I get it. Maybe he didn’t make it home. She could’ve left him in the car. Did you call-?“

“I called the car service!” Kara interrupted her. “They checked. There wasn’t anything in the back seat. I had them search the trunk and everything.”

“Okay,” Lena continued calmly, certainly more calmly than her wife right now. “What about the park?”

“The park?” Kara replied. Her head spun, then her eyes went wide. “The park! She took him into the sandbox.” The woman slapped her forehead. “Oh, I’m so stupid! I knew he was going to get dirty, but I let her.” The woman was practically doubled over, clutching at her head. She bolted back upright. “You know what? Doesn’t matter. I’m going to go check.” And she turned immediately, to the balcony. It was all Lena could do to grab her by the shirt before she leapt out the window.

“Whoa! Slow down!” Lena exclaimed. “First of all, you’re still in your street clothes.”

Kara looked down at her button-down shirt, somewhat rumpled from her hurried searching, as if it hadn’t occurred to her how she was dressed. As if it hadn’t occurred to her how inadvisable it would be for her to leap out of their apartment in broad daylight dressed so.

“Oh,” she replied. “I’ll change.” And she reached a hand quickly to her glasses, slightly askew on her face, so the picture of her current state. She made to rip them off, only to have her wife intercept her hand. Kara looked back in shock.

“Kara, slow down,” Lena repeated, sternly this time. She could understand the panic, but there was practicality to think of. “It’s been hours. Even if she left Theodore there, he’s not there anymore. Someone, the park cleaners, or another child, would have picked him up.”

“I have to look!” Came the immediate, and forceful, reply. “I’ll talk to the Parks department. Maybe they have a lost-and-found.”

“Kara,” Lena interjected. They were past comforting, calm, or stern. They had circled right around to humored. The dark-haired woman nearly laughed. “Superwoman can’t go harassing the Parks department over a lost, stuffed animal.”

The look her wife returned, however, nearly made Lena step back. It was absolutely serious, steely so. “We have to find him, Lena,” Kara replied, almost offended at any suggestion to the contrary. “Rao!, he’s her favorite stuffy. We can’t just lost him. What kind of parents are we?”

Lena had to stare at this, at the way her wife looked at her, indeed the way she had looked since the dark-haired woman had first caught sight of her. And it was then that it finally occurred to her what was so off about all of this. Theodore was important, yes. To El. They were good enough parents to recognize that just because it was a stuffed animal, something they, as adults, could compartmentalize as far as importance, didn’t mean it wasn’t vitally important to their little girl. This kind of reaction, turning the world upside down to find him, to return him to his rightful place at the girl’s side, would make perfect sense to a dedicated parent. Losing yourself to the point of clear panic at being unsuccessful would make perfect sense to a five-year-old. To the woman standing across from the CEO, the one who was strong in every way you could think of, who had stood against tyrants and world-shattering threats and made them blink, it didn’t even begin to feel like a sane response.

“Kara,” Lena finally spoke, her voice again caring and concerned. “I don’t think this is about a teddy bear.”

Kara stared back, for a moment, just as offended, as affronted, as she had been. Then, slowly, small-ly, finally all at once, she cracked. Her face broke, tears gushing as the floodgates loosed, and soon she was crumpling towards the floor in sobs. 

Lena caught her as she fell. She managed to guide the woman towards the couch where she pulled the blonde down into a deep hug. She sat, arms around the hero, as Kara sobbed and wept bitterly. The Luthor ran a hand gently up and down her back.

“Kara,” she soothed. “Talk to me. What happened?”

“Just… that…” Kara replied between whimpers. “We got home… And I put El down for her nap… And when she got up… Theodore was gone…”

Lena pulled Kara closed, tucking her head against her shoulder. She tried to soothe her quieter, still unsure what really was going on but determined to hold her as long as it took.

“Was that it?” She asked.

Kara nodded. “That was it,” she said, somewhat calmer. “I looked all around her room, but I couldn’t find him. So we looked around the apartment, but he wasn’t anywhere. And…” Her face broke down again. The woman blubbered and wept, as she had not done in a long time. “She was so upset, Lena. She was crying so much, and I… I just, I freaked out. I started crying, and I couldn’t stop. I just couldn’t stop. I think I scared her.” She sniffled deeply, wiping her nose in almost a childish fashion. “I couldn’t stand it. I had to fix it. I had to make it right. I had to.”

Lena cradled her wife’s cheeks in her hands and stared deep into her eyes until Kara stared back. “Kara, it’s okay.”

“No,” the blonde replied and shook her head. “No, it’s not. This isn’t…” She motioned to her face, to the apartment. “This isn’t normal. This isn’t how an adult responds to this.” She sniffled again. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing’s wrong with you,” Lena said soothingly. She stroked Kara’s cheek softly. “Kara, I think you know this isn’t really about El’s stuffed animal. This is about something else. Something with you.”

Kara glanced back, then quickly away, in shame. She shook her head. “No, it’s stupid. I overreacted. You’re right, it’s just a teddy.”

“It’s not just a teddy,” Lena replied, calm and soft. “It’s a lot more. Not just to her but to you, too.” She smoothed down blonde tresses, wild from the frantic energy the woman had been exuding only a minute before. “You should absolutely not feel stupid. Because this makes sense for you.” She met the woman’s eyes again. “This isn’t the first time you’ve had this kind of reaction.” She breathed evenly, trying to breathe calm over the blonde. “Especially around things like this. Loss, abandonment.”

And Kara nearly broke again under the realization alone. She closed her eyes and fresh tears streamed down her cheeks, more calmly shed but just as abundant. Her breath came ragged for a minute, then slowly it evened.

“I thought I was past this,” Kara said with a sigh some time later. “It’s been years. You remember.”

“I do,” Lena said understandingly. “But time doesn’t always get us past these things.”

“But why now?” Kara cried. “Why this? Why would this set me off?”

“But, of course, this would,” Lena said. “It’s your daughter. Her pain is your pain. Of course, you would react like this. The good news is, now that you know, you can work through it. Now that you recognize it for what it is, you can use your coping tools. And you’re not alone. I’m here. Talk it out with me.”

Lena settled back against the couch. She pulled Kara into more of a sitting position next to her, eyes still locked on the blonde’s face, while she held her hands warmly in her own. Kara breathed for some time, the occasional sniffle coming out. Finally, she sighed.

“When I think of Krypton,” she started, glancing off into the distance, as if the planet was just beyond the wall. “There’s just so much I miss. Good things,” she added, looking back at her wife, her love. “The sunsets. You’ve never seen anything like them. The way the light played off the crystal spires of Argo. My parents. My friends. I miss them all, but they don’t hurt as much to think about, you know?” 

Lena nodded, quietly willing the woman to continue.

“But then there’s other things,” Kara went on. “Little things,” and the words came out small, almost with shame. “My room, my bed, my science awards, my stuffed _zuurt._ ” She sniffled again at the thought. “When I think about those things, I… I can’t stop crying. Like a baby. Why?” She sobbed for a moment. “Why would I weep over those things more than everything else?”

Lena brought the blonde’s hands closer to place a kiss on each set of knuckles. “Because you were so young when you lost them,” she said soothingly. “A child knows a sunset is beautiful, but a sunset doesn’t make a child feel at home. Their teddy does. It’s the simple things that help them know they’re safe. Take those away, and it’s like the world has ended. Because that’s their world. That’s their touchstone of security.” The dark-haired woman reached forward and stroked her wife’s cheek again. “You have lost so much, Kara, more than anyone should ever have to lose.” She smiled, all warmth but with deep understanding behind it. The dark-haired woman knew loss, too. “And you’ve got so much now, but your biggest fear has always been losing it again. And what else could frighten you more than losing her?”

Kara turned her cheek into Lena’s hand, holding it there with her own. The tears fell fresh, but, with another deep, shuddering breath, the bulk of it seemed to drift off of her. She kissed her wife’s palm.

“I don’t want her to lose anything, Lena,” she whispered. “Anything. Not even a stuffie.” Her eyes connected with the dark-haired woman’s, a deep ocean of loss. “I don’t ever want her to feel that pain.”

Lena sighed herself, not wanting to disagree, not able to. She shifted closer to the woman and held her with understanding. It was a feeling she shared. “We can’t prevent all pain, darling,” she admitted quietly, as much to herself as to the other woman. “But we are here, and we are together, and whatever happens we will be there for her. That’s what matters.”

Kara looked back. She nodded. 

After some time, when it appeared the blonde woman was on a more even keel, the two of them set about to making dinner. El was called up from her room, her face as washed with tears as her Jeju’s. The poor child barely ate and hardly talked, and Lena could see if was all Kara could do not to lose it herself at the sight.

After dinner, Lena let Superwoman make one quick look around the park while she got their daughter ready for bed. With a bath and a change of clothes, the dark-haired woman set the girl up on her pillows, the cuddle congress anxiously awaiting the news, and let her know she would be right back. Lena stepped up the stairs into the living room just as a cape alighted on the balcony. The look on the blonde hero’s face told her wife all she needed to know about the success of the search. Lena gave her a deep kiss on the cheek.

“Why don’t you get changed into your pajamas,” Lena said to her. “Then we’ll tell El.”

Kara sighed deeply, shakily. She was whole but brittle, the dark-haired woman could tell. She pressed a hand against the blonde’s back.

“It’s going to be okay,” she added.

Kara nodded and trudged towards the bedroom. Meanwhile, Lena grabbed her tablet.

They stepped into their little girl’s bedroom a few minutes later. The five-year-old was sat up in the sheets, ever the picture of inconsolable, a notable space on the bed by her side, empty. Lena laid a hand to Kara’s shoulder and braced the woman as she stepped forward to kneel down at her daughter’s bedside.

“Hey, little one,” Jeju started, trying a smile that quickly faded. “El, I couldn’t find Theodore anywhere.”

As the bitter reality settled in, the tiny girl’s eyes shone, her lip quivered. “Anywhere?” She sobbed.

And Kara looked like she might be done in again. “No, baby. I’m so sorry,” she replied with a sob. “I swear, I’ll-“ A gentle hand stopped the haphazard promises the woman couldn’t help but want to give her little angel. Lena squeezed her shoulder in comfort.

“Ellie baby,” Mom added. “You know your Jeju looked everywhere. If anyone could find Theodore, it’d be her.”

Though the girl still looked crushed, she nodded in agreement.

“You know,” Lena continued as she crossed to the opposite side of the bed. “I lost a teddy when I was about your age.”

“You did?” The dark-haired girl and the blonde woman asked simultaneously.

Lena could only nod and chuckle to herself at their choreography.

“Were you sad?” El whimpered.

“Yes, I was,” Lena replied and settled herself on the bedside. “It’s okay to be sad when we lose things, even stuffies.” And the words were directed at the blonde woman as much as the dark-dark-haired girl. “We love things that are important to us, that make us feel good, that make us feel safe. It’s practice for the people that are important to us.” She reached a hand over to grasp her wife’s. “And when they leave that hurts, but that’s okay. We’re allowed to be sad.” 

The woman pulled out her tablet, before tucked beneath her arm, and clicked open an app. “I did a little research and found a story I think would be perfect for bedtime tonight.” She looked at her little girl. “Would you like Mommy and Jeju to read to you?”

The girl nodded eagerly. Lena settled onto the bed by the girl. Kara slid into her daughter’s other side, El turning as she did to grasp at her Jeju. The woman quickly wrapped her arms around her as Mom held the computer between them so everyone could see.

“It’s called _The Velveteen Rabbit_ by Margery Williams,” Lena began. “‘There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; his coat was spotted brown and white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were lined with pink sateen. On Christmas morning, when he sat wedged in the top of the Boy's stocking, with a sprig of holly between his paws, the effect was charming.’”

Theodore was never found. 

The next day, at the girl’s request, Kara returned with El to the park, but there was simply no sign of the bear. Kara had the sinking feeling the teddy had ended up in the trash, the unfortunate victim of the parks department. 

Then she remembered the story Lena had read them both the night before, how the dark-haired woman had commented, just before they crawled into bed themselves, that she so wished someone had read it to her when she was little. So the blonde suggested to her daughter that, perhaps, Theodore J. McScrumbletop was not really lost but, instead, found himself on a grand adventure.

El Mayarah Danvers-Luthor, even at 5 far too clever, crafty, and kind for her age, suggested that maybe he had been found by another child, maybe one who didn’t have any stuffies of their own, and maybe he was making them happy now, as he had done so often and so admirably with her.

The idea touched the Kryptonian so deeply that Kara openly weeped, happy tears, and then decided they both deserved literally all the ice cream. Over sprinkles, the blonde woman told the dark-haired, little girl about a stuffed _zuurt_ named _Khie-Khie_ and how she missed her everyday.

El went home and broke the news to her other stuffies that brother Theodore had sadly passed on, lost but not forgotten. A small ceremony was held. After a proper mourning period, Kara took her daughter to the store to pick out a new companion. El selected another teddy, one who bore little resemblance to Theodore other than being a teddy themselves. This bear, however, came with a twin, and that turned out to be the reason the little girl had selected it. 

Its counterpart appeared on Lena’s desk that very afternoon.

El named hers “Gretchen Von Biscuitpants.” Lena named hers “Velvet”, and it remained on her desk for many years. A reminder that the story isn’t exactly true. When we love something, however small, we don’t make it real, we simply recognize how real it already is. And that works for each other as much as for stuffies.


	13. Motherhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little story about Astrid's first days with Kelly and Alex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know I had to go straight for the feels with this one.  
> Enjoy!

Alex breathed. Or tried to, anyway.

It was strange. She had faced down universe-ending threats, wrestled with the day-to-day politics of alien integration and general government oversight, yet she had never been more nervous, (let's be real, more frightened), in her entire life.

"Alex, if you keep wringing that blanket like that, it'll be threadbare by the time she gets here," her wife's sweet voice cut in.

The redhead's eyes dropped to the soft, sheep-adorned blanket currently clutched in her fingers. "Oh," she said and let it fall to the mattress. They had spent all day on the room, building the bed, the dresser, the toy box, filling it with stuffed animals and soft, rubbery figurines. Farm animals weren't exactly what Alex had pictured as the theme for her child's room, but the little girl liked them, or so they had been told. Why?, was anyone's guess. Especially with her background, it was unlikely the child had ever seen a farm. Of course, maybe that was the very reason why she liked the theme. Maybe it represented the peaceful home life she had never experienced. It wouldn't have mattered much either way. If it had been circus or little mermaid or death metal, Kelly would have found a way to integrate it as a room design.

Kelly was good at that. With her background and training and psychological expertise, with her just being her, bright, warm, sunny her, she was going to be very good at this. Alex had thought she might be, too. When they had started this process, she had all the confidence in her future abilities as a parent. Now, though, as the day neared, as it loomed and now called itself "tomorrow", her conviction was waning.

"She's going to like it, right?" she asked, as much to the room as to the other woman standing in it.

Kelly looked up from situating stuffed animals on the bed "just so". She glanced around the room as well, at all their hard work.

"I think she will," the black woman replied, though Alex could hear the thin line of uncertainty even in her voice. "If she doesn't, we can always redecorate."

Alex nodded at that. She could redecorate, repaint. She could build a bed and a dresser and make sure all the locks were secure. She could do that, but there was still the nagging doubt that wondered if any of it would actually make the child feel at home.

* * *

It had been a long process, as adoptions tend to be. On the one hand, it made sense. You didn't want to hand a child off to just anyone. Still, it had been grueling. The mountains of paperwork and months of waiting. The close calls and the last-minute changes. It was enough to make anyone second-guess the process, and maybe that was the whole idea behind it: to make sure you were sure. And they were.

Then they got the call. A foster care placement that might just be up their alley. There were some complications, of course.

The vast majority of potential parents ask for a baby. It's one of the many, unfortunate aspects of the process. Older kids tend to get overlooked. What's worse is those who had previously been placed and then returned.

"Returned?" Alex had asked, half-annoyed, half-angry, staring down the adoption agent, who was not in any way responsible for the situation. "Like a sweater?"

Kelly had laid a soothing hand on hers, no more accepting of it but at least more calm.

"It's unfortunate," the very wise, and long-suffering agent had replied cooly. "But it does happen. In the end, we'd like every child to find a home, but that doesn't mean we want to leave them in an environment they would not be welcome in."

Alex sat back and cooled her heels. Though she still had to wonder who would conceivably "return" a child. The way the agent described it, the redhead might have expected some runaway, teenage delinquent, not the two-year-old with the curly, curly hair who's picture they were currently looking at.

They weren't entirely sure about Astrid's birth parents. She had been left at a safe-drop point with no other information. They weren't even sure about her age as she had been underweight, likely malnourished, and possibly the victim of abuse. She could very well be older, especially with how developed she was, already walking and talking.

"She's a very active child," the agent had said, and it could have been a positive but it came out like a warning. "Her last family had seen that as a draw," they clarified, "but, apparently, they found her a bit of a handful."

Alex had nearly agreed to the adoption just on that. She could handle a handful. But spite was hardly a reason to adopt, so she let the agent talk, detailing all the things they needed to be prepared for with Astrid, no less convinced when they were finished that this was going to be their little girl than she was at the start. Until the agent turned to her.

"I should tell you, Ms. Danvers, that you may be the deciding factor in whether or not this gets approved."

Alex raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why's that?"

"Well," they added and motioned to Kelly. "Dr. Olson is a psychological professional. Her qualifications certainly give us confidence. That's not to say you don't have any points in your favor, but they're simply not as obvious as hers. We'll want to make sure you demonstrate you can be an effective and nurturing parent, is all."

Alex was nearly thrown back. That's probably when her confidence began to wane. Kelly had her hand in hers a second later.

"Alex will be a great mom," she assured the agent.

And now here they were. Somehow they had gotten approval, and it was one more night before she was all theirs.

In reality, it wasn't like this was the first time they were going to meet the girl. That would be cruel and unthinkable. There had been interviews and home visits and meetings and meetings and meetings. Astrid had already demonstrated that she recognized the two of them, even that she was comfortable around them. The agent had been right: she was very active. The girl could talk up a storm. Alex had tried, at the very start, to carry on a conversation, to engage the child, but it quickly became apparent that the little girl simply liked to talk, so they let her talk. They let her go on and on. And in the midst of what was, more often than not, toddler babble, here and there they caught some facts, a bit of light into the girl's previous home life. Some of it rather dark, but none of it did anything but convince both women that they needed to get this little one safe and sound in their home as soon as possible.

One more night and she would be. If Alex didn't freak out first.

Kelly, as it turns out, was the one to freak out.

Alex had barely slept but still managed to get some rest for a few hours, only to be awoken by a shifting of the mattress. She turned to find her wife, sitting up in the bed, her head in her hands.

"Kelly?" she said, but she didn't really have to ask. She sat up, too. She breathed for a moment, listening to the woman quietly sob. "Kelly, I'm supposed to be the one freaking out."

The black woman lifted tear-filled eyes to her wife and smiled brittlely. "I pre-empted you, sorry," she replied sarcastically.

Alex wrapped her arms around her.

"What if she doesn't like it here?" Kelly asked. "We can't make her stay if she doesn't want to. We can't." She sighed deeply. "What if she doesn't want us?"

Alex's mouth opened, but there was no reply. She didn't have one. Her thoughts were the same. A part of her wanted to say something was better than nothing, but that didn't feel right. Nothing less than perfect felt worthy of this little girl that they so wished to call theirs. But what could they do?

"I think we just have to try," Alex finally said. "We just have to love her as best we can and hope it works."

Kelly leaned back against her. "I just want her to know, Alex. I want her to know how much we love her, how much we want her, that we're never going to stop." She sighed again. "How do we know she'll believe us?"

And Alex wished she knew the answer to that question, or she wished she believed the one she had. Because Eliza had given it to her after she asked the very same thing not a week ago.

"You just keep loving them until they do," Alex repeated what her own mother had told her. "And you keep on even if they never do."

They wrapped their arms around each other and managed to get a few more hours of sleep. They were up bright and early the next morning, too anxious for the day, too worried that it should all go perfectly. Kelly rearranged the stuffed animals on the bed at least twice.

At last, 10:00 came around and there was a knock on their door. Alex opened it to find Francine, the social worker they had been working with, and, in her arms, Astrid.

From first sight, they could tell something was different. The normally very energetic girl was noticeably closed off, nervous.

"Hey, you remember Kelly and Alex," Francine said to her, pointing the women out. "You're going to stay with them, remember?"

Astrid seemed to nod, but the nervousness was still evident. They brought them in and showed them around. Astrid took it all in but did not try to leave Francine's arms. This wasn't the first home visit, of course. Still, the little girl seemed to recognize that something was different, as children often do.

"Would you like to see your room?" Kelly tried, and they brought her in to the bright, newly-furnished space.

"Look at all your toys," Francine said sweetly as she lowered the toddler to the ground. Astrid picked her way nervously across the floor to the toy bin, wide open and waiting for her.

"Mine?" the girl asked slowly, as if the word was weird for her to say, as if the word would be taken from her.

"Yeah, baby," Kelly replied warmly. "All yours."

The girl looked at the woman strangely, then turned back to Francine. The social worker stayed for an hour, playing with the child, helping her, inch-by-inch, to become a little more comfortable in this space that she still didn't quite believe was hers. Alex and Kelly tried, once or twice, to interact but were always met with an odd stare from the little girl. Finally, they just decided to stand to the side, a distance away that Astrid didn't seem bothered by. Soon Francine got up to leave, with some minor objections from the child.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours to check on you," she said, as much to the little girl as to the women. She turned fully to the women before she left. "Give her time," she added with a smile.

The two women watched Astrid play for a while, hand-in-each-other's-hand, unsure what to do, what the girl was comfortable with them doing. Finally, they both drifted down to sit on the floor. Occasionally, the toddler would cast an eye in their direction, but there was never a word. It really felt like she was sizing them up, like she was waiting for them to change even, now that the social worker was gone.

"Why don't I make lunch?" Kelly suggested finally.

Alex nodded. They looked at the little girl, who looked up but said nothing.

"Are you okay watching her?" Kelly asked.

Alex nodded again. Kelly left the room, and Alex watched Astrid. She watched and watched, never moving closer but never taking her eyes off of her, insistent, determined that this girl would feel safe around her, whatever it took. Possibly as a good sign, the girl was not eyeing her suspiciously anymore, content to play quietly in a corner of the room. Alex sighed and tried not to take any of this badly. It just took time, and, if that was true, she could take all the time it required. She would sit on this floor until this child knew she was okay, that this was her room and her toys and no one was going to take them, or her, away.

A ball rolled against Alex's foot, jostling her from her thoughts. She looked down at it, then up at the child, now staring at her, worriedly.

"Did you lose this?" Alex replied with a smile as she picked up the ball. "Here," she added and held it out to the child.

Astrid took a wobbly step back when she did. Alex stopped and leaned back to take her seat again. She looked down at the ball. She set it gently on the floor and rolled it towards the girl.

Astrid caught the ball as it rolled near her. She seemed to consider the toy, then the woman, then the toy again. Her arm wound back, as far as it would go, and, with all her toddler strength, she threw the ball back at Alex. It hit the floor not a foot in front of the little girl then bounced towards the redhead, who caught it easily.

Alex rolled it back. Astrid picked it up and returned it. They quickly set into the game. Throw and roll, throw and roll, the girl becoming more and more excited as they continued, and the woman mirroring her as well. Soon, they were bouncing the ball back and forth quickly. The little girl hopped energetically after returning the ball, turned to chase it down as it was rolled back to her, caught her tiny foot on the edge of the rug, and promptly face-planted into the floor.

Alex cleared the distance in half a heartbeat, only to stop when she realized. The little girl wasn't crying. She gingerly picked up the toddler, her eyes red with tears but her mouth clamped shut, as if she was afraid to let out a sound.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked. She searched the girl's face, pained from the fall but also the effort of not showing it. Alex nearly cried herself as the reason why occurred to her. "If you want to cry, you can cry."

The little girl's eyes connected with hers. Alex nodded.

"It's okay," she said. "You're allowed to cry when you fall down."

In response, the child gave a short sob, almost like a test, the buttoned her mouth up again. She stared at the redhead. Alex stroked her cheek gently.

"Do you have an owie?" she tried, searching for some means of reassurance. "Do you want a band-aid?"

The girl looked up again, then quickly shook her head. "I a big girl. I no need a band-aid."

“What?"Alex had to ask, incredulously.

"Babies get band-aids," the girl replied. "I not a baby."

Alex was taken aback. The little girl spoke with a rehearsed tone, as if she was parroting something someone else had told her. Alex figured she was, and the redhead had never wanted to strangle anyone more than whoever had dared to tell the little girl that. She lifted the toddler's chin.

"Yes, you are," she said with conviction. "You're my baby, and if you want a band-aid, you can have a band-aid."

Astrid stared back, the tears fresh in her eyes. Her lips quivered. "I your baby?" she asked.

"Yeah," Alex replied. She gulped. "If you want to be."

The little girl looked around. "My room?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, this is your room, and that's your bed, and these are your toys, and no one's going to take them away. I promise."

Astrid continued to look around, taking all this in. She looked down at the floor. When she spoke, she was so quiet, so serious. "Can I have two band-aids?"

Alex had to laugh, even as tears filled her own eyes. "Yeah, baby, you can have two band-aids."

Alex quickly found the first aid kit, which Kelly had she had both made sure was fully stocked and easily accessible in the cabinet, and pulled out a pair of flower-printed band-aids.

Astrid pointed to her face. "Boo-boo cheek," she said.

Alex nodded her understanding, unwrapped the band-aid, and placed it on her cheek, sealing it with a kiss. She held up the other one. The child looked around, uncertain where to apply this one. She didn't actually have a second owie. She finally pointed to her hand. Alex put the band-aid on and planted a kiss there as well.

"All better?" she asked.

Astrid nodded. The child grew quiet again, not as fearful as before, but still unsure. She looked grateful but overwhelmed. Understandable, considering all the changes she was in the middle of. Alex thought, perhaps, she simply didn't possess the vocabulary to express herself. So, instead, the toddler grabbed a little, rubbery figurine, shaped like a pig, and held it out towards the woman.

"Oink," the girl said.

"Oink?" Alex replied.

Astrid nodded. "Piggy go oink."

Alex smiled. "Yeah, I heard they do that." She picked up another figurine off the floor. This one was shaped like a sheep. "What does the sheep say?"

Astrid looked confused. "I no know," she said with a shrug.

"Baa," Alex replied.

"Baa?" Astrid asked, eyes as wide as saucers.

"Yeah, sheep go 'baa.'"

The little girl turned and grabbed another figurine, shoving it in Alex's face. She shook it hurriedly.

"Moo," Alex told her. "The cow goes 'moo.'"

The exchange continued as the little girl began piling animals on the woman, absolutely fascinated by her wealth of knowledge as concerned animal noises. At last, Astrid held up a rubbery hen excitedly.

"Buck buck," Alex called back, and this seemed to be the icing on the cake, for the girl began to spin with elation.

"Bok-bok!" she said. "Bok-bok!" she repeated as she ran around the room, the chicken held aloft. She finally stopped at Kelly's feet, held up the chicken, and with determination said, "Bok-bok!" before darting around the room again.

It was then that Alex finally noticed Kelly standing in the doorway. The redhead nearly said something, wondering how long her wife had been standing there, but knew she didn't have to ask. Kelly smiled. She beamed. Alex smiled back.

They played all afternoon. Francine was barely noticed when she came back for a last check. Then there was dinner and a bath, which the child was even more thrilled by, and finally bed. At last, Alex and Kelly tucked their child in tightly, read her a story, and kissed her goodnight. The little girl drifted off to a deep and calm sleep, watched over by Alex, still standing in the doorway.

"I feel like she's going to go away if I shut the door," the redhead said.

"I know what you mean," her wife replied, right beside her. She pecked her cheek. "But she's ours now."

Alex nodded and began to close the door slowly, quietly. When it was opened just a crack, she stopped. She stared into the room and the little girl in that little bed.

"You're not a sweater," she whispered. "I'm not returning you."

* * *

The next few days were not without their challenges, but, all in all, it was fairly enjoyable, as Kelly and Alex slowly worked to insure Astrid knew that her new living situation was not only safe but permanent. As they did not want to overwhelm the child with too many changes too soon, they opted to wait a full week before officially introducing her to the rest of the family. When they did, there were only two people they could start with. Three, if you wanted to get technical.

"Who's at the door?" Kelly asked with a faux gasp as the bell rang.

Astrid looked up from her spot on the living room carpet with confusion and wonder. Alex crossed to the door and opened it to reveal a bear. A very large, stuffed, bear. A teddy bear about the size of a person, provided that person was Andre the Giant.

"Oh god, Kara!" the redhead shouted to whom she assumed was behind the stuffed animal that was currently blocking the doorway.

The bear tottered forward and managed to stuff its way through, pushed from the back end. In a moment, a blonde head poked out from behind it, beaming.

"Kara, I said you could bring one gift," Alex added sternly. "One."

"Yeah," Kara replied and pointed to the bear. "One."

"Look at this thing!" Alex went on in disbelief. "It's huge."

"Don't blame me," the blonde added defensively. "It was Lena's idea."

"Do not put this on your wife-"

"No, she's right, it was," came the quick reply as a dark-haired woman, with her noticeable belly, also stepped out from behind the grizzly. "Every child deserves a teddy," she added.

Alex rolled her eyes. Still, it was hard to be mad at her sister-in-law, especially with her hand perched on her stomach like that.

"So I see the maternal hormones have kicked in," the redhead observed, pointing at the bear.

"Don't be silly," Lena replied seriously. "Now, step aside, you're standing between me and the child."

"Astrid," Kelly said gently as she sat behind the little girl. "This is your auntie Kara and your auntie Lena."

The child stared with wide eyes as the two women knelt down in front of her. She approached them slowly.

"Aunnie Kawa?" she asked.

The blonde nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah."

She turned to the dark-haired woman. "Aunnie Lela?"

Lena was nearly in tears. "Yeah. Yeah, Auntie Lela, that's me."

Astrid's gaze drifted down to the woman's stomach. Her eyes got wider. She turned back to Kelly.

"There's a baby in there," she said in what was trying to be a whisper but failed.

Kelly looked aghast for a moment, but Lena could only laugh.

"What an intelligent little girl," she cooed.

Sometime later, Alex wandered into the kitchen to grab a drink. She found Kara there, and, together, they leaned against the bar and watched Astrid play with Lena on the living room floor. The dark-haired woman had set herself up against the giant bear, which was leaned against the couch, while the child piled toys at her feet.

"You know," Alex said when the coffee had finished brewing. "For a while, I didn't think we'd get here." She motioned the to living room.

Kara looked at her questioningly. "I always knew you would," she averred.

"Really?" Alex asked.

Her sister nodded. "Always," she said. "Somehow, I knew you'd find yourself right here." She glanced at the toddler quietly playing between her wife's feet. "And, I got to say, I don't think I could have imagined it more perfect."

Alex found she could not disagree. "I hoped, you know," she said, quietly, thoughtfully. "I mean, I know, with you being you, it was never going to be simple, but I hoped..." She trailed off. She felt Kara's hand around hers.

"I know what you mean," the blonde woman said. "It's weird, how your wildest dreams turn out to be underestimations."

Alex nodded at that. She looked to Astrid, now in earnest conversation with Lena. It seemed the little girl was very concerned that the baby was going to be bored, inside the womb, and asked, adorably, if she could share her toys with her. It was enough to make anyone cry, but especially Lena, who was quickly losing the battle with pregnancy brain. She looked ready to the scoop up the child and take her home, but she had her own, right there. Alex grew quiet at the realization.

"Kara," she said, her voice an awed whisper. "Our girls are playing together."

The blonde turned to the scene. Her eyes shone suddenly. "They are," she added.

They watched while Astrid tried to balance a rubber horse figurine on Lena's belly, certain that the baby would appreciate the gesture. And it seemed the toddler might be right, as Lena suddenly gave a jerk and a surprised yelp.

"She kicked!" the dark-haired woman exclaimed. She looked down at the toddler with a wide smile. "You want to feel?"

She guided the little girl's hand to her stomach, where, after a moment, Astrid gave an excited cry. She leapt and turned to Alex.

"Mommy, she kick! The baby kick!" the toddler exclaimed, pudgy arms flailing in astonishment.

"I saw, baby!" the redhead replied with a grin. When she turned, a moment later, it was to Kara, staring at her in wonderment. "What?" she asked.

"She called you 'mommy,'" her sister replied.

Alex gaped as the words washed over her. Tears quickly followed. Kara put her hands on the redhead's shoulders.

"Alex, you're a mom," she said. "You're a mom."

And it was true. As she looked back at Astrid, the little girl, her little girl, she knew how true it was. After years and years, she could finally say, with conviction,

"I'm a mom."


	14. Password

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El's history of kidnap attempts. Emphasis on "attempts".  
> Seriously, don't these people do their homework?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had this idea for a little bit, but it was at UltimateSka8erXD's suggestion that I finally wrote it out. Hope you enjoy!

The first time it happened, El was 6. 

The newly-minted kindergartener had quickly settled into her school, already showing signs that she might far surpass her age group for intellectual development. There had even been a conversation between El’s teacher, the school principal, and her parents to suggest that she might be better served by advancing a grade, or two, but the idea had immediately been nixed by Lena, who insisted that, while her intellectual development was, of course, a priority, so was her social and emotional development. A product of advanced placement herself, the dark-dark-haired Luthor was quite sure that El was best served advancing with her peers.

It was a bright, sunny afternoon when the bell rang at 3 o’clock. The dark-haired, little girl saddled her backpack across her shoulders and hopped each step from the front door down to the sidewalk that led to the pick-up area outside her school. She looked to the left and right as her classmates were retrieved by their respective rides and parents; then her eyes finally settled on a familiar-looking black sedan parked out front. She skipped forward as the door opened and a woman stepped out, only to skid to a sudden stop when she saw the woman.

She was dressed professionally, in a skirt and jacket that could be a copy for a number of the suits her Mom was famous for. But the woman with the finely-combed hair and shiny heels was not her Mom. Nevertheless, she smiled and leaned down towards the girl.

“Hi, El,” she said in a bright, warm tone. “My name is Candace, I work with your mommy. She got tied up at the office and asked me to come get you.”

The kindergartener looked the woman up and down. She was smiling. She certainly looked friendly. Still, the child was hesitant. One of her mothers always picked her up. On one day, hilariously, both had shown up; that had been a fun day, but it was always one of them. And, yes, they were both very busy, very important people, but they had promised, and Mom and Jeju always kept their promises.

“Mommy always comes and gets me,” the little girl shyly objected.

The woman, Candace, looked sincerely sympathetic. “I know, sweetie, and she’s so sorry, but, I’m going to take you right to her. Okay?”

The little girl stared back, grinding the toe of her shoe against the sidewalk in thought. The woman’s head tilted, and the smile returned.

“Hey,” she suggested. “What’s say we stop on the way for some ice cream? Our little treat.”

The little girl looked up at the smiling woman, at her suit, at the car. All of it, even the story, so plausible, so easily understood, especially to a 6-year-old, but there was something missing.

“What’s the password?” El asked.

“What’s that, sweetie?” Candace replied with another, curious tilt of her head.

“Mommy has a password,” the girl added, worrying her lip. “For ‘safe’ people.”

The woman paused for a moment, though the smile didn’t move. 

“Oh,” she said finally. “You know, she did mention that, and I think I wrote it down. Let me check.” She reached into her jacket and pulled out a phone. There was a brief scrolling, then she smiled again. “Oh, yes,” she said and looked at the girl. “‘Theodore?’”

The six-year-old nodded. The woman’s smile brightened.

“Great!” She said. “Now climb on in, and let’s get going.”

Candace turned to the car and opened the door. When she turned back around, she saw the kindergartener, running away as fast as her little legs would carry her.

El bolted in the only direction that seemed safe, the front doors of her school. She clutched her little, pink watch, the one decorated just like you’d expect for a kindergartener but with an added piece of hardware hidden behind the face. The girl was nearly to the steps when she felt a tug on her backpack. She was nearly lifted off her feet as she was turned towards Candace, still smiling.

“Oh, sweetie,” the woman said kindly. “It’s okay. I’m a safe person, I promise.”

“Is there a problem?” A voice called.

The girl turned to see one of the teachers standing by the door with a concerned look. Candace waved back apologetically.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I think she’s just nervous. I’m an associate of her mother’s. She asked me to pick her up.”

The teacher nodded but still took a step forward, no doubt spying the nervous look on the child’s face. El felt Candace’s grip tighten on her backpack as the woman drew her closer. Candace waved her phone in the air.

“It’s fine, I promise,” the woman repeated. “We’re just going to grab some ice cream and then we’re going to see mommy, right?”

She picked El up bodily now. The kindergartener froze with fear, but it was, thankfully, short-lived, as the smiling woman turned back towards the car, only to find herself also lifted up into the air, the very next moment.

The smile finally faded as Candace was turned towards the very serious face of Superwoman, the collar of her jacket locked in a death grip by the blonde hero. She sputtered nervously. El, on the other hand, no longer even in the least bit afraid, simply crossed her arms.

“You’re in trouble,” said the little girl.

* * *

“It was a small operation,” Kara said. They were sitting in Lena’s office, El safely seated on her Mom’s lap, and even more safely wrapped in her arms. “Just the driver and that ‘Candace’ woman. Alex’s contacts say they might be behind a half-dozen or other similar instances.”

“Richard’s car got a flat tire just as we were rolling out of the parking ramp,” Lena said with a deep sigh. “I was just about to call the school.”

Kara nodded. “Yeah. We figured they set that up. Their vehicle was the exact same make used by the car service. They certainly did their homework.”

Lena squeezed El tighter. It was a close call, but close was far too close when it came to their daughter. Kara knelt down in front of them, taking the dark-haired woman’s hands in her own as they encircled their little girl.

“We knew something like this might happen,” the blonde said. “But everything went according to plan. Especially thanks to this little one.” She smiled and gave the kindergartener a playful tickle. 

El squealed and kicked. Mom placed a loving kiss on the top of her head before tilting the girl’s face up to look at hers. Green eyes stared into green.

“That was a very smart thing you, Ellie baby,” Lena said softly. “We are so proud of you.”

“Yes, we are,” Kara agreed and planted a kiss of her own on the girl’s cheek. “Now what’s say we head home? You know what I’m thinking?” She asked with a tell-tale waggle of her eyebrows.

El’s hands shot up. “Pizza rolls!”

“That’s right!” Kara exclaimed before looking up into her wife’s eyes with a puppy dog gaze that was all too effective on the woman.

Lena could only shake her head and huff dryly. She planted another kiss on her daughter’s head. “You two,” she said with little conviction before scooping El up.

“And a salad,” the little girl added.

“Very good,” Lena cooed to her wife’s utter disbelief.

Dinner was delightful but not nearly as much as bedtime, when both her mothers tucked her in good and tight and kissed her good night, when her Jeju had planted an extra kiss for good measure and whispered, “You know, Mom and I will always protect you, right?”

The good nodded with all the resolve of a 6-year-old.

Mom and Jeju always kept their promises.

* * *

The second time it happened, El was 9. 

The fourth grader arrived at L-Corp headquarters downtown shortly after 4:30. The afternoon pick-ups, while certainly enjoyable, had fallen by the way side. The girl was older now, more responsible, and still too smart for her own good. While she was certainly mature for her age, Mom was still not quite ready to have her grow up too fast. So, although the girl was convinced she could handle the ride home by herself, her mothers had a car waiting every afternoon to pick her up promptly after school and drop her off wherever at least one of them was, L-Corp, CatCo, home, or, regrettably, all too often, the DEO.

El skipped lively past the front desk where the guards gave her warm smiles and waves as she helped herself to the executive elevator for a quick ride up to the office of the CEO. She stepped off and was about to skip past the receptionist’s desk when she came to a sudden stop as, yet again, she was met by an unfamiliar face.

“Can I help you?” The woman behind the desk asked.

“Where’s Su Xin?” El replied worriedly.

“Out sick,” the woman said with a polite smile. She gave the fourth grader the once-over. “Do you have an appointment?” The woman asked incredulously.

El pointed at the door. “I’m here to see my Mom.”

The woman blinked for a moment. “Oh, you must be her daughter. El, right?”

The girl nodded, trying to quell the nervous tightness in her stomach. She shook her head as if to cast the pessimism aside and stepped to the door. The woman rose.

“I’m so sorry,” she said with that polite smile, an arm held out towards the girl. “She’s in a very important meeting. If you have a seat, though, I’ll let you know when she’s ready for you.”

The girl looked back, wary now. Still, she tried to push past it. Then she stopped trying. El turned back to the desk.

“I’m sorry,” she replied with a polite smile of her own. She fingered the bracelet around her wrist. “We have a thing about new people in my family. Did she happen to give you the password?”

The woman gave her a curious look. “Password?”

“Yeah, you know, like the codeword so I know you’re a ‘safe’ person,” El laughed as she held up the air quotes.

“Right,” the woman nodded and turned back to her computer. “Let me just check my notes.” She tapped quickly on her keyboard. After a moment, she smiled again. “Theodore?” she said turning back to the girl.

“Got it on the first try!” El replied. She turned to the couch in the waiting area and started counting under her breath. She wasn’t to 30 before the doors to the CEO’s office burst open as two, darkly-dressed men were propelled through them, followed immediately by National City’s red-and-blue, caped guardian.

Superwoman took in the room immediately, her eyes landing quickly on the fourth grader.

“She’s in on it!” El yelled and pointed at the secretary.

The Super spun and knocked a pistol out of the woman’s grasp as she was rising from behind the desk. The blonde lifted her into the air by her collar.

“Are you okay?” Superwoman asked with a glance over her shoulder to the girl.

“I’m okay,” El replied quickly. “How’s Mom?”

* * *

“Kara, I’m fine,” Lena said, an hour or so later.

The rubble had been cleared, the perpetrators had been taken away, and maintenance had already been called to replace the doors. All in all, a fairly normal day for the Luthor CEO, who held an ice pack to the sizable bruise on her forehead as she lay back on her office couch.

“Su Xin actually did call in sick,” the dark-haired woman went on. She waved absentmindedly towards her reception area. “The temp service vetted whatever-her-name-was as her replacement. Honestly, I didn’t know anything was up until the armed men stepped through the door and clocked me across the head.” At the remembrance, she rubbed the ice pack a little harder.

“Well, clearly, we need to step up your security,” her wife insisted. Kara hadn’t stopped pacing since she’d donned her civilian attire again. 

“A conversation that can be saved for tomorrow,” Lena replied. Blue eyes met her own, serious and seriously worried. She smiled. “I’m fine. No harm done.”

Kara pointed at her head.

“No more harm done that what I’m used to,” Lena added. “Now, what’s say we get home?”

Kara nodded and leaned down to kiss her head softly, brushing a hand through dark locks. “Why don’t we order in tonight?” She suggested. “Potstickers?”

Lena shook her head. “Who exactly is recovering here?” She asked, but, off her wife’s puppy dog eyes, added, “Fine, but, as for me, I’ll settle for a nice, long bath and a foot rub.”

“Deal,” Kara replied with another kiss. “I’ll call the car.”

She stepped out with her phone. Meanwhile, Lena turned to her daughter, lounging at the other end of the couch. She smiled at the girl.

“Hey,” she said, motioning El nearer with a crook of her finger. When the girl slid closer, Lena reached up and planted a kiss on her temple. “Superwoman may have saved the day, but you are my hero.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay, Mom.”

“Me, too,” Lena replied. She nodded her head back towards the reception desk. “What tipped you off about her? It didn’t even ping my radar.”

“Oh,” El said with a shrug. “She just said all the wrong things.”

* * *

The third time it happened, El was 12.

The pre-teen was leaving a movie with her cousin Astrid. The evening was waning as they stepped out of the theater after a showing of a classic film the curly-haired teen had been eager to see.

“That was awesome!” Astrid exclaimed to the night.

“I will admit,” El replied. “I totally get why your Mom loves it.”

“Right? Right?” The teen went on, practically hopping with excitement. “You know they made 3 more?”

“Four, I think,” said El. “Or maybe five. How ever many it is, that guy Bruce Willis played apparently has some bad luck.”

“Are you kidding?” Astrid immediately objected. “That’s why they call it ‘Die Hard.’ He, literally, can’t be killed.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” El laughed.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Astrid added after a moment’s thought. “But the villain? Same guy who played Snape, right?”

El nodded. “Yeah, same guy.”

Astrid nodded as well, then shook her head. “I liked him better in this one.”

The twelve-year-old’s eyes simply rolled. “Well, it’s nice to know you inherited your mother’s taste in movies.”

“What can I say?” Astrid responded. “I’m a product of my environment. Froyo?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

The two girls turned up the sidewalk, only for Astrid to come to a stop. She tapped El on the shoulder and pointed. The dark-haired pre-teed followed her gaze to a black car parked on the street outside the theater, a man in sunglasses and a suit standing by it, an earpiece visible. 

“Did you call your car service?” Astrid asked.

El shook her head as she eyed the man. “It’s a couple of blocks. I figured we’d just walk.”

Before she could ask, the man spied them and stepped forward. He stopped a few paces away and nodded.

“El Danvers-Luthor?” He asked.

There wasn’t much point in denying. It was hard to stay anonymous with who her Mom was. El nodded.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“I’m Agent Timmons with the FBI,” the man replied, removing his shades. He reached into his jacket and produced a folio wallet that he flipped open, showing a FBI badge. “I’m afraid there’s been an incident at L-Corp. Your mother’s fine, but she’s being held at our facility. I’ve been asked to bring you in. If you’ll come with me, I’ll take you right to her.”

Astrid looked to her cousin warily. She stepped closer and glanced at the man’s badge. It looked legit, and her own Mom had made sure the girl had the skills to tell the difference. She glanced back to El and nodded her head towards the car. The curly-haired girl took a step towards it, only for El’s hand to land on her elbow.

“What’s the password?” The girl asked.

“Excuse me?” The agent replied.

“We have a codeword,” El explained. “My Mom would have given it to you so I would know you’re safe.”

The man nodded. “I understand. Let me check.” He turned away and put a hand to his ear. There seemed to be a brief conversation before he turned back. “Is it ‘Theodore’?” He asked.

El nodded. She smiled politely before she turned to her cousin and whispered, “Run.”

The girls took off as the agent cursed behind them, his hand flying once again to his earpiece.

“Panic button?” Astrid yelled.

El held up her wrist and the bracelet. “Already pressed.”

They tore down the block at full speed. They were nearly to the corner when a van appeared and screeched to a stop directly in their path. The side door was thrown open and three men in ski masks poured out. El slid to a halt, but the curly-haired teen did not slow, barreling towards the nearest man. With a leap and a spin, she swung her heel against his chin. He crumpled to the sidewalk, and Astrid couldn’t help but give an excited whoop. One that was quickly cut off as the next nearest man swung at her, winging her just over the eye, before he grabbed her into a bear hug.

“Astrid!” El cried. She watched the next man move towards her, then turned and saw the faux FBI guy was not far behind. 

The air grew still for a moment. There was a rush from above them. El spun instinctively back towards her cousin.

“Duck!” She yelled.

The curly-haired teen didn’t bother asking. Instead, she summoned all the training that was a natural part of being Alex Danvers’ child, dropped her heel into her assailant’s shoe while simultaneously throwing her hands up to break the hold. She dove for the ground right after El.

A second later, a red-blue-blur collided with the back of the fake agent, sending him flying into the other two guys, piling them into a heap that, another second later, was lifted aloft and dropped, unceremoniously, onto the fourth man, nursing a bruised jaw and just then picking himself off the concrete.

Superwoman turned to the two girls. “Are you both all right?” She asked.

“I’m okay,” El replied as she picked herself up. She glanced at Astrid and couldn’t help but smirk. “How you feeling, John McClane?”

* * *

It was nice, from a certain perspective, that so many of these would-be kidnappers did their homework. I mean, knowing the name of a stuffed animal El had when she was 4? That takes some research. Somehow, though, you had to wonder why they didn’t probe a little further and figure out El’s other mom was friends with Superwoman. It seemed like it would save everyone a lot of hassle. Then again, if they had a history of good decision-making, they probably wouldn’t opt for abduction as a career.

El and Astrid sat in the DEO lounge while their attackers got processed. The teen gingerly touched the bandage on her head with a look of disappointment.

“You were seriously badass,” El tried sympathetically. “And scars are cool.”

The teen laughed shortly then sighed. A few minutes later, a familiar redhead stepped into the room. Astrid stiffened at the sight of her. Alex crossed the space to wrap El in a tight hug.

“Hey, kiddo,” she said and planted a quick kiss before turning to the other girl, whose head dropped.

“I know,” Astrid said. “I got distracted. Should’ve followed up the back kick with a leg sweep on the other guy, and-“

Her Mom lifted her chin. “Hey,” she said softly. “There were four of them, each twice your size. The fact you got any hit in is impressive.”

“Really?” The girl asked.

“Yeah,” Alex replied. “I’m really proud of you.” She hugged the girl and added with a whisper, “We’ll work on multiple attackers on Monday.”

“Serious?”

Alex nodded. “I got some rookie agents I’ll let you throw around.”

The teen squealed with glee. El smiled at the scene before she was distracted by another person entering the room. It was Nia, adorned in her Dreamer suit, Brainy at her heels.

“I heard what happened,” the woman replied. “Are you two okay?”

“No worse for wear,” Astrid replied, touching her forehead.

Alex seemed to just notice this. Her face soured. “Oh, your Mama’s gonna love that.”

El peered past Nia to see a familiar blonde face, still in her cape. Kara stepped into the room and quickly found El’s side.

“Nice work, once again, little one,” she said proudly, though her face showed she would rather her daughter didn’t have quite the experience in this department.

El could only shrug. “I’m a Luthor. Kidnap attempts are a rite of passage.”

Someone who would certainly not end up finding that humorous entered a moment later. Kelly froze when she saw her daughter. She crossed the room and cupped the girl’s cheeks, her eyes not leaving the bandage.

“Mama, I’m fine,” Astrid objected.

“Well, I’m not!” The black woman retorted, teary-eyed.

Alex put an arm around her. “Kelly, she’s okay.” She laughed and added. “You should see the other guy.”

“Dropped him with a back kick,” the teen said confidently.

Kelly took this in with maternal worry. Then the solider in her seemed to resurface, impressed. “Really?”

“Yeah, she laid him out on his ass,” El said.

“Language, young lady,” came three simultaneous replies from the three parental figures in the room.

“What they said,” a fourth added as a dark-haired woman now stepped inside. Lena kissed her wife and hugged her daughter in quick succession. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she said. “But, apparently, I should be more glad you had your bodyguard with you.” She glanced at the curly-haired teen, who beamed with pride.

“What can I say?” El said. “I know how to pick my sidekick.”

“Hey!” Astrid objected. 

“Sorry, partner,” the pre-teen corrected.

“Yeah, well, that might be enough heroics for a while,” Kelly was quick to add.

“I heard about the incident,” came a warm, Martian baritone as J’onn also entered the room. “I hope everyone’s all right.”

“Geez,” Astrid cried as she looked at the already crowded space. “Do you all have a group text going or what?”

Nia quickly stuffed her cell into a pocket of her Dreamer suit. “Oh, don’t be silly,” she replied with a nervous laugh.

“Well, on that note,” Lena added. “I think I’ll be getting my girl home. Astrid, I’m glad you’re all right.”

The teen nodded, then turned to her cousin. “Hey, what is the password, anyway?”

The room turned questioningly to the curly-haired girl.

“Astrid, what are you talking about?” Kelly asked.

Her daughter pointed at El. “The codeword,” she continued. “The one she has with her moms to know who is safe. Apparently, it’s not ‘Theodore,’ but what is it?”

They turned to El’s mothers, who looked just as ignorant as everyone else.

“We don’t have a codeword,” Lena finally replied. She seems to consider this. “I guess we never really came up with one. Though, I can see why that might be a good idea.” She looked at her daughter. “What’s this about a password?”

The girl smiled. “Oh, that,” she laughed in reply. “I made it up when I was six.”

“You made up a fake password?” Alex asked.

“No,” El replied. “I made up the concept of having a password. It seemed like a good way to distract would-be attackers so I’d have time to hit my signal.” She tapped her bracelet gently.

The room gawked at this for a moment.

“Damn, you are a smart kid,” Nia finally said what they were all thinking.

El could only shrug. 

“Wait a second,” Kelly said. “That means you knew the FBI agent was fake from the start. How?”

Astrid seemed interested in this, too. “Yeah, the badge looked real and everything. How’d you know?”

“Same way I knew the receptionist was fake when I was nine and that other lady when I was six,” the dark-haired girl replied. “I know my parents would never trust a stranger to take care of me.”

“Well, while I’m certainly glad you’re so observant, El,” Lena said. “I’m a little worried we’ve apparently raised you to be so distrustful.”

Her daughter shook her head. “It’s not that. I just know one or both you will always be there. I’ve known since I was six.”

Her moms couldn’t help but beam. Kara wrapped a shoulder around her daughter, her eyes misty.

“That means a lot, little one,” the blonde said. A worried line crossed her brow suddenly. “But, you know, we’re not perfect. We’ll always try, but there might be a day we simply can’t.”

The girl, however, was undeterred. El shook her head. “Jeju, look around.” She motioned to the room, even now filled to the brim with all their loved ones. “I’ve got a whole room full of people you would call before anyone else, and this isn’t even everyone.” She looked into her mother’s eyes. “Every time someone has tried to kidnap me, they act like something is different, there’s a crisis or a change of plans or you’re too busy. But I know, if anything like that does happen, there will always be someone familiar, ready to help, to make sure I’m safe.” She glanced across the room to her cousin. “Or to lay them out on their butts.”

Now, the room looked between themselves, soaking in the truth so evident around them.

“In that case, I guess we do have a password,” El added. She held her hands out to everyone. “Family.”

When she turned back to her own parents, their eyes were shining.

“You’re the best damn kid on the planet,” Kara said. “Did you know that?”

“What about me?” Came Astrid’s reply.

Before Kara could fumble for a follow-up, Alex gently punched the girl’s arm. “Hey, you’re our ‘best damn kid on the planet,’” she said as she motioned between Kelly and herself.

And that seemed to settle that. As the warmth and closeness subsumed through them, all safe and sound and together, there really only seemed to be one thing to ask.

“So,” El started. “Pizza?”


	15. First Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after their first night together. Don't worry all fluff, with a little comedy. Enjoy!

Warmth.

There was something about being a Kryptonian and being woken up by the sun. When Kara had found her loft, the east-facing windows were a dream. There was, of course, the obvious biological factor of being more or less solar-powered. After a long day of superhero-ing, collapsing into her bed was always a welcome respite, the feeling of her skin soaking up the yellow, morning light a soothing crescendo. More than that, though, there was the sun itself and its reminder of one whose light she had once woken up under. Sol was not Rao, but it was still there, as constant and steady in its light and heat and warmth. More than once she had found herself whispering the day's break prayer bathed in the golden light of her new sun.

This morning, however, there was an extra layer to the warmth, an extra source. As Kara rose slowly from sleep into consciousness, she quickly became aware of this additional heat and its location tucked beneath her sheets, pressed, in places, right next to her. Though fully awake, the blonde kept her eyes closed, hesitant to open them and confirm where the heat was radiating from, lest it break the spell somehow. Instead, slowly, she moved a hand beneath the sheets until her fingers met soft, soft skin. She traced pads gently up and down, relishing the warmth and softness, until, gradually, she spread her fingers out to cup a simply delicious stretch of thigh.

Her ears caught the slightest of moans coupled with a skip to the heartbeat she was already sure would be her favorite sound to wake up to. She let her hand graze, eyes still closed, soaking up the warmth next to her like it was the rays of a glorious sun. Until, finally, she let her lashes flutter open to find green eyes facing her blue.

"Hi," Kara breathed.

"Hi," came the husky answer, a smile playing at the corner of the woman's lips.

"How long have you been watching me?"

"Only a little bit," the dark-haired woman replied. Green eyes glanced down briefly. "You seemed to be enjoying yourself."

"Oh," Kara whispered and started to remove her fingers

"No," the woman quickly added.

Kara felt a soft hand intercept her own, pressing it into the skin gently.

"I like it," Lena said as she held Kara's hand. The blonde gave a gentle, tentative squeeze. The smile broadened, and her companion shifted her body closer.

"How'd you sleep?" the blonde asked.

Lena gave out a long, contented moan, her eyes flickering drowsily. "Very well."

"Really?"

The dark-haired woman nodded. "Oh, yes."

Kara's brow knitted in thought. She could see the flicker in green eyes that told her her girlfriend caught that.

"So, you had a good night?" she asked further.

Lena nodded again, seriously. "Best sleep I've had in years." Her head titled against the pillow. She shifted closer to the blonde. "Why do you ask?" she whispered.

"Well," Kara replied hesitantly. "It's just, you know, when people are..." She motioned with her free hand between them.

Lena smirked. "Dating?"

"Yeah," Kara agreed sheepishly. "When they, you know, 'sleep over', there are certain... expectations."

Lena raised an eyebrow. "Expectations?" she echoed.

The blonde nodded meekly. The dark-haired woman couldn't help but smile. She shifted herself closer. The hand on her thigh, in its wanderings, had drifted up to brush the hem of the long, NCU t-shirt Kara had loaned her the night before. The blonde's fingers were drifting close to interesting territory. She made no move to stop them but wrapped her own arm around her girlfriend's waist.

"You were exhausted," she said gently. "So was I. It was all we could do to finish dinner, and the two glasses of wine I had didn't help." She ducked her head to meet those blue eyes. "You asked me to stay. I wanted to stay. So I stayed."

Kara nodded again and bit her lip. "It's just," she sighed. "Passing out after a dinner of pizza and wine isn't exactly what you'd call a romantic evening."

Lena chuckled. "Speak for yourself. I happened to enjoy myself immensely."

"Really?"

Lena nodded. "I told you, best sleep I've had in years." She raised a finger to brush the blonde's nose playfully.

"I'm glad," Kara replied. "It's just..." She let another deep sigh breathe forth. "First night together."

Lena nodded. The milestone had not escaped her.

"And, you know, that usually involves... things."

It was all Lena could do not to burst out laughing. The blonde was simply that cute. She shifted even closer, her lips a hair away from the Kryptonian's.

"Do you want to do _things_ with me, Kara?" the dark-haired woman asked in a husky tone experience had taught her was a surefire way to turn the blonde into jelly. The blush that spread over the woman's cheeks was evidence that it certainly had.

"Yeah," Kara breathed. "I just didn't want you to think I didn't."

"I don't." She set her finger under the blonde's chin and tilted blue eyes back to hers. "If you didn't, though, that would be okay. We don't have to do anything either of us doesn't want to do."

"I know," Kara replied. "But I do want, you know...You." And the words settled in the small spaces between them, as warm as their own shared body heat.

"You want me?" Lena asked.

"I do."

"Good," the dark-haired woman replied and closed the distance between their lips, until it was nothing at all. "Because I want you, too,” she added after a breath.

Kara closed the distance this time. For a moment, they breathed in each other, all of them, the here and the now and nothing else in the world.

"How about this?" Lena whispered against Kara's lips when they finally parted. She ghosted a kiss against the side of the blonde's mouth, moving to nuzzle her nose against Kara's cheek. "Next Friday, I'll take off early from work." She continued the subtle journey of lips over skin as she rounded the blonde's chin. "We'll order in. Light a lot of candles." She ended on the other side of her mouth, ghosting a companion kiss there as well. "We'll take our time and make a night of it. How does that sound?"

The shiver that passed through Kara was all the answer she needed. The hand that had been tentatively curious before traveled all the way up now, under the hem of the shirt to wrap around the dark-haired woman's waist and bring her flush against the blonde. They kissed again.

"Are you hungry?" Lena asked.

The blonde moaned absentmindedly.

"Good," the dark-haired woman replied. "Because I was thinking of trying my hand at pancakes?" She shifted in the bed, only to have Kara pull her closer again.

"No," Kara said immediately. "I mean, sorry. I am hungry, but I can wait." She held Lena tighter. The dark-haired woman melted into the embrace.

"We don't have to get up," she whispered with a smile.

"Good," Kara replied. "Because I could stay here all day.”

Lena had to agree. She wrapped her own arms around her girlfriend's neck. They rested softly in their warmth.

A minute later, Kara's eyes popped open. "Did you say pancakes?"

Lena nodded, eyes closed.

"You know how to make pancakes?" Kara asked.

A smile played across the dark-haired woman's lips. "No," she said. "But I was going to try my hand at them."

Kara squeezed her tighter. "You cook?" she moaned.

"I've been meaning to learn," Lena said. "Seemed like a good idea considering how much my girlfriend eats."

"You know, you don't have to try so hard," the blonde replied with a grin. "I mean, I'm already in bed with you."

Lena couldn't help but giggle in the woman's grasp. She nuzzled her face into her neck, blonde curls brushing her cheeks.

"Have you talked to your sister?" she asked. Lena felt the blonde tense underneath her and immediately brushed a hand through her golden tresses. "Hey," she soothed. "I was just curious. That wasn't a guilt trip."

Kara nodded. "I'm going to. I promise."

"I know," Lena replied. "But you don't have to promise. It's okay if you want to keep us a secret for a while. I kind of do, too."

"You do?" Kara lifted her eyes to hers.

Lena nodded. "Yeah," she said, adding quickly, "Not that I'm ashamed or anything. But it's a big thing, and I wouldn't mind enjoying it all a bit before the whole world knows."

Kara nuzzled into her as well. "The whole world doesn't have to know."

"I'm a Luthor, darling," Lena replied. "The whole world's going to know."

"Oh," Kara said flatly. She pulled Lena further in. "I do enjoy this," she added.

"So do I, Kara," Lena whispered into her ear. "So do I."

And they held each other, the world blissfully forgotten in the glowing morning light, both certain they could stay like this forever.

There was a knock on the door, sometime later. Kara's head popped up, eyes shooting towards that end of the apartment. Lena waited while she knew her girlfriend was x-raying her own front door.

"Uh-oh," the blonde said.

Lena didn't have to guess. "It's Alex, isn't it?"

Kara didn't reply. Her mouth just went flat. A bead of sweat began trailing down her chin.

"Kara," Lena soothed.

"I'll get rid of her," the blonde quickly replied, leaping out from beneath the sheets.

"Kara!" Lena laughed, sitting up in the bed. "It's okay."

"No," the blonde insisted. "I really want to get back to the cuddling, and we were going to do pancakes." There was another knock. Kara snapped to the door again with a panicked expression. She looked terribly cute, standing there in her dinosaur print pajamas. Lena opened her mouth, again, to let her know it was okay. "I'll get rid of her!" Kara interjected before she rushed around the corner of her loft towards her entryway.

There was another knock that was interrupted when Kara opened the door, Lena could hear, far too quickly. It sounded like Alex practically stumbled into the apartment.

"Good morning!" Kara said in a tone that was too cheery, even for her.

"Well, you must've had a fun night," her sister replied.

"WHAT?" Kara shot back in a full panic.

"You just seem extra chipper," Alex answered after a second. There was a moment of suspicious silence. "Are you okay?" Lena heard the redhead ask.

"Uh, yeah," Kara replied in a completely unbelievable tone. "Wh-Why do you ask?"

"You just look... different," Alex replied. There was another beat, wherein Lena knew the blonde must be sweating. "Anyways, I came to get my sweater."

"Your what?"

"My sweater," Alex repeated. "The one I leant you last week. You still have it, right?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Kara replied. "I should have it somewhere around here. Just let me look. One second.”

And then Kara closed the door, or Lena figured she must have, because her sister immediately replied, "Hey! What gives? I can help you look."

"No, I got it," the blonde insisted. "Just give me a second. The place is a mess."

"Kara, seriously," Alex replied, forcing the issue, and the door, it sounded like. "Your apartment looks fine. What is with you? Have you got a guy over or something?"

Kara laughed in an equally unbelievable way. "I most certainly do not!"

"Then can I have my sweater, please?"

"Uh, yeah," Kara said hesitantly. "I think, uh..."

"It's probably in your room."

"Yeah- I mean NO!"

"Would you get off of me!" Alex replied, no doubt after Kara leapt after her. "What is with you? Do you have the sweater or not?"

"I do!" Kara practically screamed. "It's just, uh, it's in the laundry. Yes, it's dirty. I need to wash it."

"I appreciate the thought, but I can wash it myself. Just let me grab it."

"NO! I mean, it's being cleaned- Dry cleaned! I sent it out for dry cleaning."

"Fine," Alex sighed. "Where were you last night, anyways?"

“What?" Kara squeaked.

"After patrol," the redhead added. "You said you had plans and then jetted off. What were you up to?"

"Uh, nothing," Kara answered, then seemed to realize that wasn't a good reply. "I mean, I made an early night of it, you know, really tired."

"Okay," Alex seemed to accept this, albeit reluctantly. "Anyways, Kelly, Nia, and I are doing brunch. Get dressed and you can join us."

"Oh, no thanks," Kara replied, somewhat believably this time. Unfortunately, that seemed to ping the redhead's radar.

"Since when do you turn down brunch?" Alex asked.

Kara was clearly sweating again. "Uh, I just am exhausted. Thanks for the invite, though. I'll catch you next time."

There was a pause, then what sounded like a shrug from Kara's sister. "Suit yourself. Hey, I was thinking about inviting Lena. Do you know if she's free?"

"Uhhhhh," Kara replied, looking for an excuse.

"Never mind," Alex said. "I'll just call her."

"NO!"

"Geez, Kara, would you calm down? Look I know things have been weird lately, but we can do brunch. If you're so worried about it, come with us. It'll be less awkward if you're there."

Before the blonde could come up with another excuse, another voice joined the conversation.

"Babe, what's taking so long?" Kelly asked. "Oh, hi, Kara. Are you going to join us?"

"She says she's tired," Alex answered.

"Since when does Kara turn down brunch?" yet another voice entered, this one belonging to Nia.

"Since today, apparently," Alex added.

"Oh, that's too bad," Kelly said. "Did you get your sweater?"

"Apparently, it's being dry cleaned," said the redhead, no doubt with a look to the blonde.

"Oh, okay, well I guess we'll leave you alone, Kara," Kelly said.

"Sure! Thanks!" Kara replied, entirely too relieved, which seemed to be the tipping point for her sister.

"Hold up," Alex said. "What is going on with you?"

"Wha-?" said Kara.

"You're acting all weird," the redhead fired back. "And you've been showing me the door since I got here." Lena could practically hear Kara sweating under her sister's gaze. "Is there someone else here?"

Kara didn't answer, which was all the answer Alex needed. Lena heard footsteps stomp quickly across the loft, followed swiftly by Kara's stumbling feet. The dark-haired woman sighed and sat up fully, crossing her arms over her knees. Being a Luthor had taught her many things, most of all how to face reality when it came barreling at you. Some things were just unavoidable. It wasn't a moment before Alex rounded the corner and everyone learned the disadvantage of an open floor plan.

"Honestly, Kara, you-" and the redhead froze in place the moment she caught sight of the dark-haired woman in her sister’s bed. Kara quickly rounded the corner after her and came to a stop when it was far past obvious there was no use.

Alex stared. Lena stared back.

"Good morning," the woman in the bed replied matter-of-factly.

Alex continued to stare speechless, mouth agape, her face, the picture of "Error 404: File Not Found." Her own girlfriend seemed to notice this.

"Alex?" Kelly asked, as she herself rounded the corner. "What's going- OH!"

Kelly stared. Alex stared. Kara sweated. Lena sighed. All that was left was-

Nia rounded the corner and came to a stop, as well, but, unlike anyone else for whom this was a surprise, the young woman did not seem dumbfounded. Instead, she took in the scene, eyes darting quickly between the woman in the bed and the woman shaking in her dinosaur pajamas, and she punched the sky.

"YES!" Nia screamed. She pointed to Lena. She pointed to Kara. She pointed joyously between the two of them. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" She punched the air over and over in absolute glee.

This seemed to knock Alex out of her cognitive dissonance loop. She turned, slowly, to her sister.

"Explain," she said, pointing at Lena.

Kara could only sputter wordlessly.

"Okay," Kelly said, also having collected herself but, unlike the redhead, a little more accepting of the current situation and its broader implications. "Why don't we just go?"

"No, she's going to explain," Alex repeated, even as her girlfriend began to drag her away from the scene.

Kara could only look on with a worried expression. Nia, meanwhile, was still jubilant.

"Yes!" she repeated. She turned and held out a fist to the blonde woman. "Fist bump!" she yelled. Kara didn't respond. "Kara, fist bump me right now!"

At last, the Super seemed to notice the gesture. Hesitantly, one eye on her sister and one on her girlfriend, she raised a shaky fist to bump knuckles with the young woman.

"Talk," Alex added as she was no longer able to resist Kelly pulling her towards the door. She glared at Kara. "Later. So much talking later."

The redhead was finally led away with Kelly, Nia bouncing on her heels after them.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" the young woman repeated as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She disappeared around the corner, only to pop her head back a second later and give both women an exuberant grin. "Yes!" she added.

Lena heard the door slam closed, leaving her and Kara alone amidst the remains of their morning. The blonde stared. The dark-haired woman could only look back with sympathy.

The Kryptonian took a few shaky steps into the room, before her knees connected with the mattress, she pitched forward, and face-planted on the bed. Lena leaned down to plant a kiss on her hair.

"What are the chances we didn't just tell the whole world we're dating?" Kara asked.

Lena tugged gently on her pajamas, until the blonde woman crawled up to rest her head in her lap. "I'd say slim to none."

Kara groaned. It was certainly not how they would have planned, if they had planned. Nevertheless, it was out, and, as Lena looked down at the pitiful woman, and those adorable dinosaur print pj's, she couldn't help but think that she didn't regret a thing.

Lena's phone beeped. When she picked it up, she was able to confirm that slim-to-none was decidedly none. The dark-haired woman had wondered, briefly, what Nia was doing on her phone before she left, who, in her exuberance, was she letting know about this. The text she got from her former assistant confirmed it.

_Jess: Way to close the deal, Ms. Luthor!_

"So what was that about pancakes?" Kara asked.


	16. Work Safety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first few weeks of Lena's pregnancy, but, per tradition, they haven't told anyone. Why then do all her employees seem to be acting weird around her?

It’s common practice to not announce a pregnancy until the second trimester. Some consider this old wive’s tales, however, the risk of miscarriage does drop significantly after the 12-week mark, so there is some medical wisdom behind that. Either way, Lena Luthor was just fine not announcing that fact any time soon, partially for medical reasons. This was a risky pregnancy just from a genetic perspective. As it was, she was doing weekly check-ups with her obstetrician just to be sure. But also, there were personal reasons behind the delay in making this public knowledge. It was just that women in business tend to face a lot of double standards around motherhood, some critics seeing it as diminishing their authority in a cutthroat industry, while others seeing it as a woman finally fulfilling her “primary role”. Lena was interested in entertaining neither, and, though she knew she would have to face both eventually, she comforted herself with the idea of how foolish anyone would be to think that motherhood would make her less intimidating. So, she was fine, for the moment, in following the traditional wisdom to keep the knowledge of the pregnancy to as small a number of people as possible.

It should be noted that Krypton did not have this tradition.

* * *

It started with her coffee.

She was about 6 weeks in, give or take. In vitro fertilizations were always tricky. You had to wait to see if the implantation would hold, but all of her blood work seemed to indicate her body was accepting the fact that there was a future, bouncing baby gestating inside of her. She was excited, and, granted, she had promised her wife she would start to take it easy at work. Eventually. But there were also things to be done and 7-and-a-half more months to go. So this didn’t seem the time to slow down.

Lena’s daily coffee order was beyond a habit. It was a science. Before she got to her desk in the morning, before she even left the penthouse, she would have already had her morning espresso, enough to get her in place for the working day ahead. By 10, a cappuccino was locked and loaded, a double-shot for days full of meetings. There was the afternoon pick-me-up, and, on days that led to long nights, another follow-up with dinner. 

She had made a note-to-self that said long nights would probably need to be the first thing to go. The coffee, too. However, she had read up on the latest science regarding caffeine consumption and was slowly weaning herself off of it. Slowly. Let’s not get carried away. So, she had started to forgo her first morning cup and limit the requests for double shots. This, however, was done outside of work, on her own time, she thought, without anyone but Kara knowing.

So, it was not a little odd when, just after lunch, the dark-haired CEO found her afternoon feeling a little sluggish. She wondered if she had dialed back the caffeine consumption too fast. She’d had her 10 am cup and decided she could risk an early afternoon pick-me-up. When said pick-me-up did not fulfill its desired function, she knew something must be up.

“Amita?” She asked over the intercom.

“Yes, Ms. Luthor?” Her assistant replied cheerily.

“What did you put in for my Noonan’s order this afternoon?”

“Your usual, Ms. Luthor,” the woman replied immediately. “Non-fat latte with 2 sugars. Is something wrong with it?”

“I think they may have given me decaf by accident.”

There was a slight pause on the other end. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Luthor.”

“Oh, it’s nothing to apologize for. Would you just mind running out and getting me another?”

Another pause. “Of course, Ms. Luthor,” came the reply, eventually. “Would you like anything else?”

“No, but feel free to get yourself something as well. My treat.”

“Thank you very much, Ms. Luthor,” the woman said warmly. “Coming right up.”

Amita arrived later with a second, steaming cup. When this one also failed to give her the expected, and very much desired, boost, she had to question it.

“Amita?” She said, actually stepping out of her office and into the reception area.

“Yes, Ms. Luthor,” the woman looked up immediately.

“I’m about ready to sue Noonan’s,” the dark-haired woman said. She chuckled dryly. The woman looked at her, confused. Lena held up the cup. “Two in a row.”

Her assistant’s mouth hung up for a moment. She gathered herself suddenly. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Ms. Luthor. I must have mixed up your order with mine. Please forgive me.”

The woman’s suddenly apologetic look managed to distract Lena, the CEO quickly waving the idea away.

“It’s perfectly fine,” she said. “It happens.” Still, she had to raise an eyebrow. “I’m just surprised you’re drinking decaf.”

Again, the woman seemed to search for an answer. “Oh, well, I mean, you know what they say. It’s really not good for you, in the long run.” A smile quickly appeared.

“I suppose you’re right,” Lena admitted after a moment to stare at the woman. She went back to her office and mentally swept the whole thing under the rug.

The next day, when, once again, she found herself drinking decaf, the head of L-Corp was decidedly confused but still attempted to move on with her day. She was a good boss, after all, and not just for a Luthor. She wasn’t the kind of person to blow up over little things like misdone coffee orders.

The next day, however, when she was sipping her drink and detected the unmistakeable flavoring of aspartame, where she expected sugar, she started to wonder what was going on at Noonan’s.

* * *

It was a few days afterwards that other changes began to make themselves apparent. Like her meeting with the radiology department.

“Ms. Luthor,” Amita called over the telecom.

“Yes, Amita.”

“Your 3 o’clock is here.”

Lena glanced at the clock, which was unnecessary. She already knew the time. That wasn’t the weird part. She checked her schedule. She was certain that, yes, there was her appointment reminder for the departmental check-in. However, she had thought, it was a tour, not a meeting.

A moment later, Drs. Prax and Silva bustled into her office.

“Ms. Luthor,” Dr. Prax said with a hand extended. “Thank you so much for meeting with us.”

“It’s my pleasure, Dr. Prax,” the woman replied, taking his hand. “However, I was under the impression that our meeting this afternoon was in your department. You needn’t have come all the way up here.”

“Oh, it’s not a bother,” Dr. Silva added quickly. “It’s a short trip up from the labs.”

“Well, of course,” Lena admitted. “Still I was rather looking forward to actually seeing the work your team is doing.”

“Naturally!” Dr. Prax replied. “We’ve prepared a presentation.”

The woman raised an eyebrow at that. On the one hand, she was impressed with the initiative, but still. “You didn’t have to go through the trouble.”

“No trouble,” Dr. Silva said. “In any case, we didn’t want to take up too much of your time.”

Lena’s eyebrow remained raised. “It’s not farther from the labs to my office than it is my office to the labs.”

The two scientists exchanged a rapid, worried glanced. Dr. Prax laughed it off. Silva following immediately after.

“Certainly,” Prax added. “But, seeing as we’re already here-”

“Of course,” Lena said with a nod that seemed to calm the two department heads. “Still, I would love a tour. I’ve been very excited by the progress reports you’ve been sending up.”

Again, the worried, exchanged look.

“Uh,” Prax tried, eyeing Silva. “Possibly?” 

“We’ll have to check the schedule.”

“Lots of delicate work.”

“Don’t want to interrupt.”

“You understand?”

The CEO stared at the two of them, flailing. She finally nodded her head that she did and let them proceed. The presentation was thorough and likely just as informative as if she had come downstairs rather than them coming up. All in all, she probably would have been ready to write the whole incident off.

Except it was not the only incident.

There was the demonstration from L-Corp Automotive. They were going to show off a new electric engine concept car, including a test drive the CEO had been fairly excited about. Postponed. Apparently, the model wasn’t road-ready yet.

There was the safety test for the new fire suppression systems L-Corp was pioneering. Rescheduled at the last minute. It seemed there were some system tweaks that needed to be seen to.

There was the on-site robotics study. Delayed. Why? They didn’t think the company CEO should have to make the long trip out to the field. It was going to be a 30 mile drive.

Then there was the high-energy laser test. It had been on Lena’s calendar for months. Her business mogul side was very pleased at the prospects as the new equipment opened the door for some serious work L-Corp could now do onsite. The scientist side was equally excited, if not more so. She had not been able to play with serious equipment like this since MIT. She happily checked her schedule that morning to find the meeting had neither been rescheduled nor changed to some virtual presentation and made her way down to the labs.

It was to her unqualified astonishment, when she arrived, to find a full body hazmat suit waiting for her. She, understandably, questioned the department lead on this.

The head engineer was already prepared. “Safety first, Ms. Luthor.”

“I understand, Mx. Maxwell,” Lena replied. “Only this seems a little extreme.”

“Well, it’s a very powerful laser, Ms. Luthor.”

Lena nodded. She was quite familiar with the specs. She pointed to the demonstration area and the large plexiglass wall that had been set up. “Isn’t that what the safety shield is for?”

The department head seemed to notice this. “Well, of course, but you can never be too careful.”

The CEO could only shake her head. There wasn’t much point in protesting. I mean, she wasn’t about to go around and reprimand her lab techs for being safety cautious. So she put on the suit, the safety goggles, the gloves, the boots, and only mildly stared when she was then handed a radiation vest. She put it, wondering why they had bothered with the front-and-back shielding. Surely a simple. lead apron would do. And, was it her imagination, or was the vest they had given her rather generous in the belly area?

The demonstration went off without a hitch. She applauded the entire department, somewhat awkwardly with the rubber gloves on, and mentioned how excited she was for the next full power test and when did they think they could schedule it. She tried not to put too fine a point on the fact that Mx. Maxwell responded, “Not at least for another 8 or 9 months.”

It was enough to make a CEO paranoid. Of course, she could be making too much of it. In all her reading of the sort of medical things she could expect from pregnancy, there was also the understanding that pregnancy brain was a real thing. Sure, she was still in the first trimester, but, perhaps, she was just letting her thoughts run away from her. No one knew, right? This was normal behavior from her employees, just colored by her perception. She was just being silly. Right?

Every good scientist, however, knows a hypothesis is nothing until its tested.

“Amita, I think I’ll be taking a walk,” Lena said as she strode out of her office, quite unannounced, one afternoon. 

“Of course, Ms. Luthor,” the assistant said with a smile. “Anywhere in particular?”

“I thought I’d pop down to the labs.”

The woman’s hands, before flying energetically across the keyboard, froze. Amita looked up in worry. “The labs, Ms. Luthor?”

“Yes,” Lena said as she pressed the elevator call button. “Surprise inspection.”

“I, uh…” The woman stammered. “Don’t remember anything about that on your schedule.”

“That would be the ‘surprise’ part.”

“Of course,” Amita said with an unconvincing laugh. “Is that… Do you think that’s wise?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” The dark-haired woman probed.

Her assistant stammered once again. “I mean, you know how the departments get with surprise inspections.”

“I do,” Lena said with a nod as the elevator door opened and she stepped inside. “I guess I’m in a masochistic mood.”

She picked a floor at random. She stepped out into the microbiology labs a minute later and briskly strode past the reception and into the back rooms. A trio of lab coats practically stumbled out of a side door. Somewhat, befuddled, as befit a surprise inspection. Still, they had come out to meet her, which was not a good sign.

“Ms. Luthor!” The lead, a Dr. Gibson, exclaimed. “This is… unexpected.”

“You’ll forgive me, Dr. Gibson,” Lena replied diplomatically. “I felt like stretching my legs and realized it’s been ages since I checked on the bio-labs. I decided to come and see what everyone’s been up to.”

“Of course, Ms. Luthor,” Dr. Gibson added, rubbing his balding head worriedly. “I’d love to discuss that with you. Perhaps in my office?” He gestured back towards the lift.

“Oh, no.” Lena shook her head. “I’ve always been a hands-on researcher. I’d love to see the labs.”

The man flailed mentally. His face showed it. “I, uh… Well, to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure what projects we could get you into, at the moment. Safety procedures, you know?”

Yes, the s-word again.

“The observation hall, then,” the CEO suggested.

The man looked ready to object, but, well, he was talking to a Luthor. “Of course,” he practically squeaked. “This way.”

The trio led the company head towards the labs, most of which were clean rooms, hermetically sealed and atmosphere controlled. It was an airlock procedure to get in or out of most of the facility, but there was a hallway that ran between, windows opening to the labs on either side. It was a usual stop on company tours. The look of L-Corp scientists busily employed in all manner of work was always a fascinating sight. Lena let herself look with esteem, knowing there were diseases being cured even now inside there. 

Down either side of the hallway, roughly a foot away from each set of windows, a line of yellow ran the length of the floor. UV lights bathed the stretch of linoleum in dim purple. A safety measure.

Lena stopped at one particular window.

“This is the retroviral lab, correct?” She asked.

“Yes,” Dr. Gibson said, a little proud himself. “I believe they’re working on the new vaccine models we’ve been developing.”

Lena smiled, not a little proud herself. “Excellent. I should tell you, Dr. Gibson, I’ve been most impressed by the work your department has been churning out.”

The man blushed. “Oh, well, that is quite the honor, Ms. Luthor.”

“It’s well-deserved, I promise,” she added, taking a step towards the window.

“We’re all very grateful for the opportunity, Ms- NO!”

Lena stopped, her hand frozen halfway to the lab window. She looked back at her employees, all with sudden looks of horror. Gibson, most of all, white as a sheet with worry. It wasn’t just the ‘no’, so sudden, so loud, but that it had been delivered in the exact same tone one might do for a child about to touch a hot stove.

“Is there something wrong, Dr. Gibson?” Lena asked.

The man’s mouth hung open. “I, uh…” He finally pointed to the yellow line on the floor. “The UV, ma’am.”

Lena glanced up at the lamps recessed into the ceiling. “It’s a nominal dosage, doctor.”

“Uh, yes,” the man replied anxiously. “It’s just…” He pointed again. “The window. The lab.”

Lena glanced at the lab. “It’s sealed. Surely, there’d be no harm.”

“Uh, yes,” he replied, again. “Only…” He finally cleared his throat. “Smudges,” he suggested. “It’s always such a pain to clean.”

Lena stared at the man, quietly sweating. “Of course,” she said after a minute. She drew back her hand and watched the three lab coats breathe a collective sigh of relief. “Well, I think I’ve taken up enough of your time, Dr. Gibson. I’ll leave you to it.” And she let them lead her quickly back to the elevators.

When she stepped once more into her office, Lena stopped immediately at her assistant’s desk. “Amita, can you please schedule a meeting with all the department heads first thing tomorrow morning?”

“Certainly, Ms. Luthor,” the assistant replied. “Was there something specific you wanted me to put on the agenda?”

“No, I think I’ll leave that blank,” the CEO replied. “One more thing, though, I think I’ll take my 10 am coffee at 9. Bring it to the boardroom.”

“Of course, Ms. Luthor,” Amita replied and began making the note in her computer. “Your usual?”

“No, I think it’s going to be a tough meeting. Better make it a tall black with at least 6 sugars, and Amita?”

The woman paused as she took rapid notes. She looked up at her boss.

“Triple shot,” Lena added and watched her assistant’s eyes go wide. 

“Yes, Ms. Luthor,” she quietly stammered.

Lena stepped solidly towards her office. She stopped at the door and turned with a wry smile. “And, of course, get yourself something as well.”

She watched the woman’s shoulders ease down. Amita smiled. “Of course, Ms. Luthor. Thank you.”

* * *

The next morning, Lena stepped into the conference room to find the long table filled with all the heads of the major L-Corp departments. She glanced at the nervous, questioning faces as she stepped to the front of the room.

“All right,” she said seriously. “I’m going to be frank because it’s become rather obvious that everyone in this room here knows something about me, and has been quietly, and without my consent, altering their behavior accordingly.”

This wasn’t meant to be an admonishment. Not really. But this was her company, she was the one meant to run it, not have it run out from underneath her. Still, she sighed.

“I appreciate what I assume is a desire for my safety,” she said. “However, I am a grown woman, capable of taking care of myself. I do not need my employees to do it for me.” 

She looked sternly to each person, in turn, meeting what eyes she could. Some looked back in denial, some looked quickly away in shame. No one said a word. She looked around the room and saw people she genuinely cared about, people who’s opinion she valued, leaders not only in this company but in their respective fields. It wasn’t that she was mad. It was that she was annoyed, because this seemed rather silly.

And, yet, as she thought about it, as her mind turned the problem over, she knew she didn’t have to ask how? In the same way that she didn’t have to ask who? Because, in the end, there was only one culprit.

“I’m going to ask a question of the room,” the CEO said slowly. “And I expect everyone to answer honestly.” She gave the gathered employees another stern look, adding, for emphasis, “Jobs may be on the line.”

There was a general squeaking of chairs as spines stiffened in unison.

“Please raise your hand if you’ve talked to my wife in the last week.”

Slowly, hesitantly, a few hands went up.

“Please raise your hand if you’ve talked to my wife in the last two weeks.”

Several more hands rose.

“In the last three.”

By the time they got to four weeks, every hand in the room was pointed at the sky. Lena sighed again. _Dammit, Kara_.

“Do I command so little respect?” She groaned aloud.

The department heads exchanged guilty glances.

“Ms. Luthor,” came a worried voice. Lena looked up to Mx. Maxwell. “No one here has anything but the highest respect for you.”

“On the contrary,” another voice added, Mr. Basra, from automotive. “We were only thinking of your safety.” She watched the man’s eyes glanced down for a moment. “Both of yours.”

“I appreciate that, sir,” she said and looked around the room. “I do, but that’s hardly in any of your job descriptions.”

Just then the conference door opened and in stepped the CEO’s assistant, a coffee cup in each hand.

“Sorry for the delay, Ms. Luthor,” Amita said. “There was a line.” 

She held out a cup to Lena. The dark-haired woman reached past it to grab the other cup. She watched the assistant look at her in astonishment as she took a sip. Lena shook her head. Damn, that woman was good. She reached out to grab the other cup and took a swig from it to confirm. Yep, both decaf, both sugar free. She stared at the woman.

“Let me guess,” the CEO said. “You order the same thing as me in case you spill one?”

The woman smiled. “You caught me, Ms. Luthor.”

“And the fact that they’re both decaf?”

The smile dropped. “Ms. Luthor, I can explain.”

“No need, Amita,” Lena said, sighing once more. “I’m afraid the jig is up.” She set the cups down on the table. “For your information, I had every intention of quitting caffeine for the baby.”

It took a full second for the woman to feign surprise. “You’re pregnant?! Ms. Luthor, that’s amazing! You-“ And then she looked at the room, utterly silent. “Oh,” she added.

“I’m afraid we’ve already been discussing that news as regards job performance,” the dark-haired CEO added. “Out of curiosity, when did Kara talk to you?”

“About six weeks ago,” her assistant replied. 

“6 weeks!” Lena exclaimed. “I’ve only been pregnant for 8!”

That sparked an immediate response from the room. “8 weeks! You look amazing!” “And no morning sickness? How lucky!” “You’re glowing. I’ve been saying so.” The comments washed through like a tsunami. Ms. Luthor held up a hand to make it stop. The room buttoned up immediately. The woman looked back at the sea of faces, all, admittedly, very exuberant. She nearly had to laugh.

“Ms. Luthor,” Dr. Silva volunteered. “I hope you know, we had the best of intentions. No one was trying to undermine your authority.”

“Except my wife.”

The room could only shrug. Lena laughed for real this time.

“I really owe you all an apology,” she said. “I’m married to her. I imagine Kara put the fear of God into you.” She watched them all exchange curious looks.

“I wouldn’t say ‘fear’, exactly,” Dr. Gibson said. “More like ‘cookies.’”

“Cookies?” Lena asked.

“And muffins,” replied Dr. Prax. The room echoed this assertion.

“There may have been a sternly worded request,” Mr. Basra admitted. “But it was on very nice stationery.”

Lena was, admittedly, a little dumbfounded. That Kara could be so sweet, even while strong-arming, wasn’t that surprising. Still, she had to wonder how the blonde had convinced so many of her employees.

“Although, we would have done it for free,” said Ms. Nyongo from ITS. 

And that, Lena had to raise an eyebrow to. Especially as the room nodded along.

“At the risk of sounding unprofessional,” said Ms. Batiste, the head of marketing. She glanced around the room with a smile. “I think I speak for everyone when I say, Ms. Luthor, we all think you’re going to be a great mother.”

“You’re already a pretty great boss,” Amita added.

And that threatened to do the dark-haired woman in entirely. Especially when she saw the sea of faces smiling back at her, and she realized she was not just looking at a room of people who worked for her but, astonishingly, a room full of people who cared about her. 

The woman took a minute as she wiped tears from the corners of her eyes. She turned back to the room with a smile. 

“So,” she said, sniffling slightly. “It’s raises all around then, is it?”

* * *

Lena had planned, after this meeting, on having another even more serious one with a certain blonde, CatCo employee. After this one, however, she decided it really wasn’t necessary. There was still the matter, up for discussion, of who exactly got to run the dark-haired woman’s life and company, but something told the CEO that matter would come up later, regardless. For now, she comforted herself with the thought that her wife really would move heaven and earth, sometimes literally, if she thought it was what was best for her. And she comforted herself even more with the though that she had so many people, far and near, who seemed ready, able, and altogether willing to help out in that process.

And that’s why it brought her no small amount of joy when, 5 weeks later, after all the right and dear people had been told, she was able to hit “send” on the company-wide memo announcing her pregnancy to L-Corp and watched as her email inbox exploded with well wishes and replies. She didn’t wonder at how many of them were sincere. She did wonder, and laugh to think, how many of them were pretending to be surprised.


	17. A Driver's Education

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El is learning to drive, and Lena has pulled out all the stops, literally, in the girl's education.  
> Yeah, you're going to like where this goes.

There are many milestones for a young person. First steps. First day of school. First dance. First piercing. First tattoo. First tattoo that your parents know about. None, perhaps, are more monumental, though, for a teenager than the driver’s license. What better, tangible symbol could there be for that blessed concept, “freedom”?

Thanks to her mothers, El Danvers-Luthor had access to a car service that guaranteed in-town pickup within 10 minutes. Thus, a license might seem unnecessary. Why drive when you can be driven, especially in style? 

El’s parents, however, were very aware of the importance of milestones, for what they represented to the person who obtained them, especially. The necessity of them wasn’t always in what they allowed the child to do but how they allowed the child to see themselves. Both Lena and Kara were very invested in how their daughter saw herself and, Lena especially, wanted her to have all the opportunities and life skills she might need to succeed.

Thus, when the girl turned 15, the issue of licensing and driver’s education was at the forefront of their conversation, her Mom quickly taking the lead, assigning her daughter several books on traffic laws and defensive driving and quizzing the girl at odd intervals. It was a bit of a turn from their normal dinner conversation, but the teen was cooperative. The prospect of driving not being lost on her.

Lena was not too proud to say, either, that she was actually really getting into this. So much so that the dark-haired woman began to wonder if some long-suppressed, overbearing parental response had been unearthed. Nothing Lillian-level, certainly, but enough to make her wonder if this had a little more Luthor flair than she intended. The woman had even gone so far as to set up simulated driving tests at the L-Corp Automotive virtual facility.

The piece de resistance, however, was the road test. Lena Luthor had, quite literally, taken out all the stops, reserving the L-Corp test track at the off-site campus and paying employees to set up cones, road signs, and simulation traffic hazards for the teen’s education. The woman was not a little nervous to see it all go well. She really was getting into this.

“Wow, Mom,” El exclaimed when they stepped out on the track. Lena had done the close-your-eyes-no-peeking-okay-open-them rigamarole on the walk up, and now the teen couldn’t help but gawk. “This is a lot.”

“I know,” Lena admitted with a wry chuckle. “But I just wanted it to be as realistic as possible. Don’t be nervous.”

“I’m not. It’s just…” said the teen nervously. “You didn’t have to go through all the trouble.”

“No trouble at all, Ellie. I promise.” She wrapped an arm around the girl. “Anything for my baby.”

The teen nodded as they walked towards the car, sleek and shiny in the mid-afternoon light. As they neared, El’s eyes grew wider.

“Is that…?” She exclaimed. “Is that the L-Car?”

Lena nodded. “Our first road model. Fresh off the line.”

“You’re letting me drive it?!”

Mom nodded again. “Of course.”

The girl practically skipped towards the vehicle, ducking down to run a hand down the body contours. The L-Car wasn’t simply a concept vehicle; it represented the next generation in driving technology. Lena had been talking about it for months, and the girl had listened eagerly. El looked up at her mother, slightly worried.

“Mom…” She shook her head. “Are you sure?”

“I told you, anything for my baby.” She tossed a key fob the girl caught, fumbling in the air for it as she did.

“Thanks, Mom,” El said in an awed whisper, staring between the fob and the car. “I promise I won’t ding it up. Too bad.”

The woman laughed heartily. “To be honest, Ellie, there’s a double purpose in all of this.” She motioned to the vehicle. “The car’s set up with sensors. We’re working on the automatic drive system for the next model, and I thought information from a first-time driver would be helpful.”

The girl immediately brightened. “I get to be part of the data set?!!!”

Lena laughed joyfully at her nerd progeny. El hopped up and down before dashing to the driver side door. The teen had become quite familiar with the schematics of a number of L-Corp projects, a favored past-time of hers, including the L-Car. She didn’t bother with the buttons on the fob but simply ran a finger across the recessed door handle. The car hummed to life, running lights cycling. The door hissed open and folded forward. El hopped in. Mom slipped in on the passenger side. The dashboard came to life and the onboard computer piped out a welcome message. 

“Welcome, El,” the synthesized voice sounded. “Configuration interior for maximum comfort.”

Both waited as the seats heated up and then molded around them. El clapped her hands as she relished every bit of the moment, running her hands over the dash and through the brightly lit display. Finally, she looked at the dark-haired woman. Lena thought she could spy a line of guilt on her daughter’s brow.

“What is it?” She asked.

El bit her lip. “I just…” she sighed. “I should have told you: this isn’t exactly my first time driving.”

“I know, El,” Lena said with a chuckle. “But the simulator is not the same as real life.”

“No, I know,” the teen admitted. “I mean I’ve been behind the wheel of an actual car before.”

The woman raised an eyebrow. They drove rather infrequently, just out of habit. The only times either she or Kara ever really got behind the wheel was for the occasional trip to Midvale, which wasn’t nearly often enough. In all that time, though, she never recalled letting Ellie drive. Not that she might have been against it, even briefly; it had just never happened.

“When?” She had to ask.

El stared at the dashboard. She traced a hand over the wheel. “Remember, last year, when Astrid was learning? I tagged along once, and Alex may have let me take the wheel a bit.”

Lena made a mental note to question her redheaded sister-in-law as to why this seminal moment had not been mentioned to her, but quickly pushed past that to her daughter, sitting in the driver’s seat next to her, looking like she had done something wrong.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” She asked. “Here I’m pop quizzing you like you don’t know the first thing.” She sighed at that feeling, again, of overbearingness. 

“I don’t mind the pop quizzes, Mom,” El said sincerely. “You know it was kind of fun, and…” She fingered the wheel again in thought. She sighed. “You planned all this out, and you were really excited, and now L-Corp’s going to use the data.”

“We can get data, Ellie. That’s not an issue.” She had to stare at the girl. She looked terribly embarrassed of something. “If you don’t want to do this, we do not have to. Please don’t feel obligated because I’m making a big deal out of it.”

“No, it’s not that! I want to. I do. I…” The teen shook her head then looked down for a moment. “I like spending time with you,” she whispered.

And Lena could just cry. Her perfect, genius angel. Parenting was by no means easy, but she thanked her lucky stars, for the millionth time, that both she and Kara had managed this - a teenager so adorably them she couldn’t even be bothered to be embarrassed by her own parents. She leaned across the car to plant a kiss on her daughter’s head, cradling the girl’s cheek in her hand. 

“I like spending time with you, too, baby,” she whispered. El smiled as they sat back. “But you know,” Lena had to add. “One driving lesson does not a driver make.”

El laughed. “It was a pretty thorough lesson, Mom. Alex even said I picked it up fast.”

Lena had no doubt. Alex was nothing if not, thorough, and El was nothing if not a quick study. She smirked at the thought. “Well, all right then. How about this?” she said and pointed towards the track laid out before them. “Why don’t you take her out? Show me what you know already.”

“Really?” El exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Lena said with a nod. “Let’s see what you can do.”

El nodded gleefully and quickly buckled herself in.

“Seatbelt. Good,” Mom commented, buckling herself in as well.

The girl checked the mirrors on all sides, both physical and the L-Car’s projected displays in the corners of the windshields.

“Mirrors. Also good,” noted Mom.

Lastly, the teen put the car in gear. Lena couldn’t help but lean to get a look at the dash.

“Uh, Ellie,” she said, trying to be supportive. “You’re in reverse.”

“Yeah, I know,” the girl replied before dropping her foot to the gas pedal, which quickly dropped to the floor of the vehicle.

The L-Car took off, backwards, accelerating towards the line of cones that had been set up to simulate a street. El craned her body back, hand securely on the wheel, smile beaming from ear-to-ear, as she piloted them at high speed. Then, seamlessly, the girl took her foot off the gas, spun the wheel, and yanked the parking break. The tires squealed as their momentum swung the car around, where El released the break, dropped the car into gear, and her foot found the gas pedal again. 

All the while, Lena Luthor white-knuckled every conceivable surface of the vehicle’s interior.

They tore off down the track, the teen showing a surprising competence in a level of driving that would concern a stuntman. El slalomed fearlessly between cones, taking hard turns, drifting through hairpins, all at speeds that were decidedly not street-legal. The teen yelped joyously all the while, which is probably what prevented her hearing her mother screaming intermittently.

Finally, after a completed lap of the mocked-up course, confident they had a very good set of data, and that her own skill had been clearly demonstrated, she pulled them off the track and eased the car back into starting position. She popped it into park before turning to her mother with a wide smile. It was then, of course, that she actually saw her mother, having missed the woman’s reaction in her excitement. Lena Luthor sat, hair slightly askew, one hand gripped solidly in the overhead handle, the other with nails digging into the armrest, her feet braced against the floor, and eyes glued to the windshield, wide with terror. The smile dropped from El’s face.

“Was that… Was that bad?” She asked sheepishly.

Lena slowly dislodged her nails from the armrest. She reached a hand and managed to blindly find her daughter’s hand, eyes still very much stuck forward. 

“No, baby,” she said a little stiffly. “You did… fine.” Though she sounded a bit unconvinced. “Confidence in driving is very important, but…” she gulped. “When you said your aunt taught you driving, I should have asked what kind of driving.” She breathed slowly. She may not have been for the last minute or so. She patted the girl’s hand. “That’s on me.”

“Should I…” the girl tried after a moment. “Should I go again?”

Lena nodded but held up a hand. “I’m just going to need a minute.”

Slowly, the woman unclenched every muscle in her body. She ran a hand over her hair, tucking flyaway strands where she could. Finally, she let a deep, calming breath go.

“All right,” she said steadily. “We’re going to start again. This time, I will tell you what to do and when to do it. Okay?”

El nodded.

“First, I’d like you to put the car in drive and SLOWLY pull out onto the street.”

* * *

Some hours later, Alex checked her watch. They were supposed to meet up with Lena and El for dinner and it seemed the pair was running a bit late. The redhead figured Lena’s driving lessons must have taken longer than they thought. Her sister-in-law had been rather serious about it, and even Alex had to admit she was eager to hear how it had gone.

Soon enough, though, she spotted their car turning the corner. It seemed to be driving fairly sluggish, and the woman was surprised to see her sister-in-law behind the wheel as the car was carefully parked along the curve.

“Hey, how did it go?” She asked as she leaned down to look into the open window. She was met by the immediate and steely-eyed glare of one Lena Luthor. The redhead was a little taken aback.

Before Alex could ask, her niece leaned brightly from the passenger seat. “I did a J-turn!” The teen exclaimed. 

It was then that the DEO chief immediately recalled a previous driving lesson with the dark-haired girl, all in good fun, at the time, and suddenly the woman was able to reconstruct their entire afternoon and the reason her sister-in-law was staring murder right at her.

“That’s great, kiddo,” she replied with faux enthusiasm even as she stared into the blazing, piercing pupils of the girl’s mother. She smiled and added, through her teeth, “I’m dead, aren’t I?”

Lena nodded. Slowly.


	18. Another Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sequel to Chapter 15. Another morning waking up to the right person in your bed.  
> Enjoy the fluff.

Warmth.

Morning. The sun rays bathed a certain, blonde Kryptonian in their delicious energy. Kara moaned in delight, basking like a cat in the morning glow. She reached a hand out to find, to her unqualified satisfaction, that another source of heat was also present in this bed. She wrapped her arm around it, pressing the silk-wrapped expanse against her whole front like the world's finest body pillow. She squeezed and was rewarded with a quickened pulse and her wife practically purring.

"Good morning," Lena whispered.

"Good morning," squealed the blonde, her voice somewhat muffled as she nuzzled into darkly-colored tresses. She continued to pull the woman against her, pressing and hugging as if she could meld their bodies more fully.

"I don't know what you're doing back there," the brunette commented. "But you really seem to be enjoying yourself."

In reply, her wife nuzzled deeper, snaking another hand underneath her to fully embrace the woman. Lena could only laugh as she tried to move, squirming in the grip of her golden-curled straight jacket. Kara squeezed tighter.

"Uh-uh," she groaned, shaking her head and tossing dark tresses as she did. "Sssoft."

"What was that?" Lena asked.

"You're soft," Kara clarified.

Lena smiled and tried to shift towards the woman, only to be koala-strangled further.

"No move," the blonde insisted. "Only soft."

"I'm not trying to leave, Kara," the dark-haired woman laughed. "I'm trying to turn around."

With more squirming, Lena finally managed the rotation to face her wife. Kara reluctantly allowed this, disappointed to be robbed of the full expanse of warmth the woman's back offered. She rewarded herself by pressing her head fully into Lena's chest.

The dark-haired woman yelped. "Better?" she asked.

Kara nodded, face buried in silk-covered skin. "Oh yes," she muffled. "Much better."

Lena shook her head but smiled and wrapped her arms around the Kryptonian. She stroked those golden tresses idly. They soaked up the shared warmth of the morning.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this," Kara said with a deep, satisfied sigh.

"Personal space?" Lena joked.

Kara only nuzzled further. "Waking up next to you."

The Luthor in the bed softened, her own arms embracing the woman tighter. Lena leaned down to place a deep kiss, holding her lips against the blonde's brow.

"I hope I don't either," she whispered.

The warmth grew between them.

"Do you remember that morning?" Kara asked softly after a while.

"I'm very happy to say we've had many, wonderful mornings, darling," Lena replied. "You'll have to be more specific." She planted another, gentle kiss against the golden hair.

"That first one," Kara specified, relishing that single point of touch against her scalp in the universe of warmth she was wrapped up in. "The very first one."

"Ah, that I do remember" Lena noted in thought. "I remember the best sleep I've had in years. I remember waking up more content than I ever had in a long time. I remember not wanting to get up at all."

Kara nuzzled in agreement.

Lena smiled. "I remember your sister showing up later, and Nia going gaga, and a very presumptuous text from my former assistant."

Kara groaned and burrowed further into her wife to hide her embarrassment. Lena hummed warmly, knowing the vibration would be caught by the blonde.

"I remember a truly awful stack of pancakes that you ate anyways."

"You got better," the blonde observed.

"I did." Lena ran a hand along her wife's cheek, turning her nails to draw furrows through those golden curls, rubbing gently against the woman's scalp. "I remember another morning," she whispered, her voice low and silky. "About a week later. And the night right before that, too. A very long night." She breathed warmly over the blonde hair and felt Kara shiver in recollection. "I remember really enjoying myself."

The blonde looked up. She bit her lip. "So did I."

She smiled and leaned up to kiss her wife. Then kissed her again. Then once more for good measure. Then again, because it seemed like a very good idea. Soon, they were level with each other, hands tracing, searching out skin, warmth. There was heat, delicious heat, that devolved into playful warmth and giggles. The hunger was there, but as the object of their desire was right there, close as a heartbeat, they were each content to let the feelings play out slowly, the morning open to them.

"You know," Lena whispered as she ghosted her lips along her wife's jaw. "If you wanted me to get started on those pancakes I've gotten so good at, I will eventually have to get out of this bed."

"Eventually," Kara agreed though made no move to release her wife. "Just not yet."

"You'll get no argument from me," said the dark-haired woman as her wife cuddled her tighter. "It's just you probably aren't the only one who's going to want them."

Speaking of which.

Kara suddenly leaned back as super senses brought her attention to the slightest of sounds. She looked at her wife.

"We're fully clothed, right?" she asked suddenly.

Lena's brow furrowed in confusion, but she still lifted the sheet to confirm. Yes, pajamas and everything.

"Why do you ask?" she queried as she let the sheet drop.

"Because I think we're about to have company."

Lena grew quiet as she also strained to hear and caught the tell-tale click of the bedroom doorknob being turned followed by the squeal of hinges as it was pushed open, the force behind it hidden beyond the edge of the bed. The women craned their heads for a moment to confirm before quickly shifting back beneath the sheets, eyes closed, feigning sleep.

A quiet moment filled the room, punctuated by the distinct sound of someone crawling across the floor, trying very hard to be sneaky and failing. The bedspread suddenly went taut with a noise of effort. A pudgy fist appeared over the edge on Kara's side, followed by another, as a very determined three-year-old drug herself up on top of the mattress.

El peeked with toddler eyes at the, apparently, sleeping pair in the bed, confirming to her child senses that they had not been woken up and she had completely succeeded in sneaking in. She crouched down on her little legs, tottering to one side and then the other as she built up the strength and the nerve. She leapt.

Arms swept up suddenly to catch the child in mid-flight.

"Intruder alert!" Kara called as she held her little girl aloft.

"I got you!" El said, insistent. "I got you! I did."

"Oh my," Lena added with faux concern. "How did this one get past security?"

"Well, she is the sneakiest child on the planet," Kara answered. "So it's no surprise." She gave her wife a serious look. "What should we do with her?"

Lena sighed. "Well, there's only one thing for it."

"You're right," Kara said with a nod. She brought the little girl close enough for their noses to touch. "The tickle monster," she whispered, eyes wide.

"No!" El screamed, squirming in glee. "Not the tickle monster!"

Nevertheless, her Jeju turned to press the child gently into the pillows between them, while her Mom, aka the Tickle Monster, raised her hands, turning her fingers suddenly in like claws, before they descended with righteous fury to quickly turn the child into a giggling, cackling mess. Indeed, the whole bed quickly followed, devolving into a pile of love.

Some mornings are worth staying in bed forth.


	19. Job Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El is job searching. But where will she work?   
> If only she knew people who owned companies...

El grew up in a family of accomplished people, and, while this had the potential to create certain expectations regarding achievement, thankfully, with one notable exception, it had only really given the young woman a drive to impact the world in a meaningful way. It was understood, and often stated, that neither of her parents wanted anything more than for their daughter to forge her own path, whether she followed in either of their footsteps career-wise or not. At the same time, though, it was also understood, and explicitly stated, that, when talk of job opportunities for El ever came up, she had an in at two very reputable establishments.

Classes had started, and El was quickly finding a rhythm balancing college with her "extracurricular" activities. Thus, she felt pretty confident about adding another element to the mix. It wasn't like she needed the cash, but she was mature enough to recognize the necessary responsibility and the importance of previous employment on one's resume. So it was that, one night at dinner, she happened to mention it to her mothers.

"That's a great idea, Ellie," Mom commented immediately. "It'll do you good, too. I don't like the idea of you spending all your free time in costume." The raven-haired CEO added the slightest of looks to her wife.

"Don't look at me, Mrs. Work-Life Boundaries," Kara glared back with a smile.

"I'm just saying," Lena replied. "It's important she has a life. Right?" And the tone had decades behind it.

Kara laughed but nodded. "She's right, little one. It's good to have non-Super-related interests."

"Oh, I know," El agreed.

"L-Corp is always looking for research assistants," Lena said practically.

"So's CatCo," Kara added.

Their eyes met. Neither had used any kind of leading tone. They hadn't intended to. But the sense of rivalry, of asking their child to choose between them, and the answer, somehow, not being obvious to the other, was sudden and palpable. They stared in silence for a minute.

"Of... course..." Lena offered, somewhat hesitantly. "CatCo's... good... I suppose." She looked at her wife, expectant.

"It is," Kara agreed.

"It's just, when you say 'research assistant'," Lena went on, annoyed. "That means something different at a magazine than, say, a reputable science lab."

"We research things!" Kara replied, almost comically offended. "Important things!"

"I'm just saying," the dark-haired woman said. "Fact-checking grammatical errors might not be as stimulating as, oh, for example, cutting edge materials development with top-of-the-line equipment and some of the brightest minds in the field." Lena took a bite off her fork with a very, self-satisfied look. Kara had a hard time finding a rejoinder, partly because she was just a little turned-around.

"Well... yeah," she stammered before finding a second wind. "But, at CatCo, she would be alerted if there was any kind of disaster." The blonde mirrored her wife's look, or tried to. Lena was very practiced at it.

"Or she could just pay attention to the alert the DEO sends her," Lena fired back immediately.

The blonde's bluster deflated with a pout.

"Don't you think our daughter might want a job that challenges her?" the dark-haired woman followed up.

"Maybe she wants to take it easy," Kara came back with renewed confidence. "She's got a lot on her plate, after all."

"True," Lena admitted. "But we both know what an affinity for the sciences she has. It's never too early to get in on the ground floor of a promising career."

"Maybe she doesn't have to start her career yet," insisted Jeju. "Maybe she could take time to explore different interests."

"L-Corp has dozens of offices in any number of fields," Lena answered that immediately. "She could explore a different interest every month."

"CatCo has variety, too," Kara replied, her brow furrowing at her word choice, but she soldiered on. "We have ongoing stories about politics and lifestyle and world news. Plus, there's all our creative departments, and we both know how important creativity is for proper development." The Kryptonian gave a solid nod, very proud of herself for that rejoinder.

"It is," Lena admitted.

"And, who knows, maybe she wants to pursue a creative career," Kara barreled on.

"Isn't that up to El?" Lena asked.

"Yeah, about that," the object of the discussion finally cut in.

The debate ground to a halt as both women turned to see their daughter staring between them. The blonde and brunette both glanced down at the table in momentary shame.

"That was a little much, wasn't it?" Kara asked.

"A little," El said with a nod.

The blonde glanced briefly at her wife. Mom reached out and took Jeju's hand in her own, planting a kiss on her wrist.

"I'm sorry, baby," Lena said to her daughter. She placed another kiss on her wife's hand. "I'm sorry," she said to the blonde.

"Me, too," Jeju replied. "Whatever you want, little one. You know we'll support you."

"Yeah," El let out with a sigh. "I should probably have mentioned way earlier that I sort of already got a job."

Her mothers' eyes went wide, their mouths fishy for a second.

"Uh, that's-" Kara started.

"Great," Lena finished, though a little unsteadily. They glanced at one other again. They each had their opinion in the debate, but neither had considered there was a third option. "Where?" Mom asked. The woman's face shifted immediately as a thought occurred to her. She pointed sternly at the young woman. "Not the DEO."

"No," El laughed, shaking her head. "Noonan's."

Their eyes went wider. They didn't need to ask for clarification. They knew what the young woman was referring to. They both visited the coffeehouse often enough. And yet neither was able to conceal their surprise, tinged slightly with disappointment.

"Noonan's?" Lena said, and it hadn't been meant as a question, but there it was.

"Yeah," El replied matter-of-factly. "We had an interview yesterday. I start on Monday."

Her mothers stared. On the one hand, they ought to be terribly proud of their daughter, not only for her initiative but the fact that she landed the job, apparently, quite easily. Still, there was that tinge of maternal, if not disappointment, at least serious questioning.

"That's... great," Lena repeated as she looked to her wife for back-up.

"But, I mean," Kara tried. "What about what your Mom said? Wouldn't you like to be challenged?"

The college student shrugged. "Yeah, but you're right, I got so much else going on. Plus, Noonan's has really flexible hours."

And they couldn't argue with that. They could, but both women exchanged a wordless glance and knew it wasn't the best idea from a supportive-parent angle.

"That's great, Ellie," Lena said, with somewhat more conviction.   
"Yeah," Kara agreed before they went back to their meal.

* * *

Noonan's did offer flexible hours. Plus, the downtown location kept her "near the action" as it was, which the young woman thought would prove a boon to her "other" job. The coffeehouse was a favored spot and quite familiar to the local NCU campus, there being something of a revolving door of employment for students. Despite that, and while a very busy establishment, El was confident that she'd find her place there and, moreover, prove to be a valued employee. Her mothers had given her nothing if not a work ethic.

It was clear by her second day, however, that the young woman may have made a mistake.

Thanks to her genius brain, a gift of genetics from both her parents, El quickly memorized Noonan's menu and the many, often complex, procedures to make the drinks listed there, including ones from the secret menu only those in-the-know were aware of. Customer service had its downsides, in the form of a long train of ungrateful customers who had to be reminded that baristas were people, but El knew how to slap on a friendly, if patronizing, smile and power through, thankful for the good customers, who were polite and tipped well. The real and unexpected downside, however, was not related to the job at all. At least, not this one.

It started with the six car pile-up that also managed to knock over a fire hydrant, just a block from Noonan's. They could hear the screech of tires and crunching of metal in the shop. El actually managed a quick, "I'm on a 15!", to her manager before she ran out the backdoor.

Then there was the bank robbery, also a few scant blocks away, that Supergirl bravely foiled. Even while a cappuccino meant for table 3 was growing cold on the counter.

An out-of-control Banterian incident, (so out-of-control it required both of National City's Supers to tame it), rounded out the young woman's first week of employment, and made her severely late for her shift.

Noonan's had flexible hours. Superheroism, it was clear, did not.

El had never had a huge problem with time management, and, what with now possessing super speed, she was not a little surprised to find that, between classes, capes, and coffee, there did not seem to be enough time in the day. She came home more than one night, not exhausted, certainly, but downright frustrated that she couldn't make it all work.

Still she tried. And her efforts were rewarded by a string of muggings, one anti-alien assault, and the contents of a frappe spilled all over her apron after the ill-advised attempt to make a mixed drink at enhanced speeds.

* * *

She ended up lasting 2 weeks at Noonan's before arriving at work to a nicely worded note from her manager on how they hoped she stayed a customer but she wasn't working out as an employee.

El went home defeated and promptly face-planted on the couch.

Sometime later, the young woman's head popped up at the sound of the apartment door opening, too distracted to hear the approach. Her whole body followed when a cursory super sense clued her to the fact there were two people coming in, and she realized that not only did she not know what she was going to say to them but, irony of ironies, she now had to break the news to both at the same time.

"Hey, El," Lena called cheerily as she spotted her daughter. "What are you doing home? I thought you had a shift at Noonan's."

El's mouth opened. She had nothing. She had no intention of lying but really wished she had some better explanation. There was none. In answer, the young woman simply slumped down onto the couch. Her parents exchanged a worried glance.

"Little one, what happened?" Jeju asked.

El could only sniffle. After a long moment, she finally answered, "They fired me."

And where she might have expected disappointment, she found only sympathy when she looked into her mothers' eyes. Mom glanced at Jeju who was already crossing the floor to slide onto the couch beside El and wrap an arm around her daughter. The dark-haired girl slumped against the woman's side.

Kara didn't need an explanation. Neither of them did. The Kryptonian especially had quite enough experience to guess exactly what the issue was and voice it immediately.

"It's hard to keep it all spinning," she said softly.

"I tried," El said, unable to suppress another sniffle. "I really tried."

"I know you did, little one," the blonde soothed. "It's a juggling act, and inevitably something hits the ground."

El curled closer to her Jeju's natural warmth. She sniffled again, deeper this time, when she reached up to wipe a tear away, she could not keep the sadness out of her voice.

"I'm sorry."

"Ellie," Lena cooed as she slid down to the seat on her daughter's other side. "Why would you be sorry?"

Lena whimpered once. "I failed," she said.

A strong but soft hand gripped her chin and turned her gently to face her dark-haired mother. "Little scientist," the woman chided warmly. "What have I taught you about failure?"

El managed a small smile back. "A good scientist is never afraid of results."

"Only assumptions," Lena completed. She leaned in to plant a long kiss to the girl's temple before wrapping her up as well, with Kara effectively sandwiching her in maternal warmth and love.

"I should have let one of you find me a job," El admitted.

Kara and Lena locked eyes.

"You could have," Jeju said. "But we understand there are some things you have to figure out on your own."

Mom leaned back to gaze at the girl. "Ellie, was there maybe another reason you didn't want us to find you a job?"

El looked down for a moment as she worried her lip. "I don't want you to think I can't earn my way or that I think I shouldn't have to."

"No one thinks that, little one," said Kara.

"Not even for a second," Lena agreed. "Ellie, we didn't offer to get you a job because we didn't think you could earn it but because we know you will. Your Jeju and I know how hard you work, at everything. You make us so proud. We only offered..." She glanced up at her wife and burst into laughter. "Well, because apparently we both have something to prove to you."

Kara chuckled. Even El managed a brighter smile at that.

"But also because we want to make sure you can do everything you need to do," Mom went on. "We're not offering you special treatment."

"Absolutely not," Kara seconded with a sly grin.

"But we do want to help," said Lena. "Because we know, we both know, how hard it can be, and we want you to succeed. We love you."

The hug sandwich closed again. El shivered at the deep, deep warmth of it all, thankful for the millionth time that she didn't have to go through life alone. Moreover, that she got to go through life surrounded by all of this. Finally, they parted. Lena wiped a last tear from her daughter's cheek. El looked between her two favorite people. She sighed.

"So, does the offer still stand?" she asked.

* * *

"Nervous?"

El turned to her mother as the town car drove through downtown. The young woman adjusted the sweater Jeju had helped her pick out, in a darker shade, but the effect, over slacks, accentuated a small resemblance to a certain blonde.

"A little," she admitted.

"First day jitters are normal," Lena said. "You're going to do great."

"Thanks, Mom," El said. She stared out the window at passing cars before turning back to her mother. "Are you disappointed?"

The raven-haired CEO furrowed her brow. Then she smiled with understanding. "Why would I be disappointed, Ellie?"

Her daughter shrugged and played with the sleeve of her sweater. "I just don't want you to think I'm, like, choosing Jeju over you."

Lena grabbed her daughter's hand. "I don't think that," she said seriously.

"I know..." El started then sighed again. "I do think L-Corp would be a lot of fun, but I also think, with everything else," and she swept a hand in a circle, encompassing the many aspects of her life currently. "I just need something that maybe doesn't require too much of me, so that I can give more of me to those other things." The young woman looked down in her lap. "That probably makes me sound lazy."

In answer, her mother squeezed her hand again. "It does not, Ellie," Lena said. "Quite the opposite. It's a very smart thing not to overcommit yourself. Trust me, I know how much of a temptation that is." She squeezed the young woman's hand again and waved nonchalantly with her other. "Besides, you're right, you'd be having so much fun at L-Corp, you really wouldn't want to do anything else." She let her mouth turn into a sly smile and gave her daughter a side-long glance. "Also, I hear the boss is a bit of a taskmaster."

El smiled at her Mom. Her eyes shifted for a moment, conspiratorially, before she leaned in. "Don't tell Jeju?" she asked.

Lena's eyebrows were sky-high in interest, but she nodded calmly.

El bit her lip before saying, "I think I'm going to end up at L-Corp one day. When I'm ready."

The dark-haired woman managed to school her expression, barely. She smiled softly and raised her daughter's hand to kiss her knuckles. "As long as it's what you want, El, there will always be a place for you at L-Corp," she said.

El smirked. “Really, Mom, nepotism?”

“Well, I am a Luthor,” the woman replied with a grin. “It’s just what we do.” She squeezed her daughter’s hand again and added, "Also, I'm definitely telling your Jeju."

"Mom," El chided.

"But I won!"

"Mom!"

"She gets you now. I get you forever!"

Lena followed up with a gentle poke to her daughter side before pulling in for a hug. The dark-haired woman kissed her daughter's hair then quickly ran a hand over it to fix it back in place.

"You are your Jeju will change the world at the DEO," the Luthor said, her voice vibrating out of her chest with deep feeling at the next thought. "While you and I will at L-Corp. Sound like a plan?"

Green eyes met green. El smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

The car came to a stop on the curb in front of CatCo. With a last squeeze of her hand by her Mom, El opened the door and slipped out.

"Love you, Ellie," Lena called after her.

"Love you, too, Mom." She turned to the building before her.

"You're going to be free for lunch, right?" came Lena's voice behind her. El turned back to her Mom leaned out the car window.

"Yeah."

"Good, because both of your bosses would like to treat you." Lena's smile was wide and warm.

"Sounds good," El said with a wave before turning back to the building. She walked up to the doors, pausing to step through. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed, the car was still there, Mom watching her until she stepped inside.

El took another breath and did so. It was strange, though not unexpected. She had entered this building literally thousands of times, always with confidence. Very much like she owned the place, even using the elevator designated only for the editor-in-chief. Now felt different. She wisely decided to use the regular elevator. The door opened on the designated floor, and the young woman was immediately met by the beaming face of a very recognizable blonde. El stepped hesitantly off the lift and glanced to either side.

"Jeju?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

Kara looked suddenly surprised, like she just so happened to be standing there and was definitely not waiting by the elevator, giddy with anticipation. "What? I can't walk my daughter to work on her FIRST day?!"

El's shoulders slumped even as she fell in step beside the blonde. "Jeju, you promised."

The CatCo editor-in-chief looked positively offended. "No, this is not 'overbearing'. It's totally not. You would know!"

El rolled her eyes.

"I just wanted to introduce CatCo's newest, (and soon to be star!), employee to the office."

El gave her Jeju a look.

"Okay, a little overbearing," Kara admitted. "But I'm the boss, and, I think you'll find, I'm a very good boss, very involved with my employees." And off the next look her daughter gave her, added, "But, you know, at the same time, allowing them to define their own space."

El elbowed her Jeju lightly. "I'm happy to be here."

The ear-to-ear smile returned. "I'm happy you're here, too, little one," Kara whispered. "Especially because we can do a group costume for the holiday party!"

And El had to chuckle. It was her Jeju, and she wouldn't change a thing.

"Maybe we should let me get through my first day before we plan that," she replied.

Kara held double thumbs up as they rounded the hall and passed through a set of glass doors into another sector of the office. The blonde quickly put on a professional persona as she stepped inside, several heads popping up as she did. A middle-aged man in a suit vest and slacks, standing at a design table, quickly crossed over to them.

"Ms. Danvers," he said.

"Mr. Jacobsen," Kara replied. "I wanted to take the time to introduce your newest research assistant." She turned and motioned to the dark-haired young woman beside her.

"El," the young woman said, stepping forward to offer a hand to the man.

"Nice to have you on board," Mr. Jacobsen replied, shaking it.

There was a brief moment of, slightly awkward, silence as both of them glanced at the blonde, still standing there.

"Well, I'll let you get started," Kara said before turning to the door. She took a last second to lay a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "See you later?"

El nodded. She watched Kara leave, waving from the other side of the door as she did, before turning and walking away. When the young woman turned back, it was to a very dour, slightly put-upon look from her new boss.

"Listen," Mr. Jacobsen intoned seriously. "I don't know what cake walk you thought this was going to be, but, here, we expect everyone to pull their weight. That includes you. If you have thoughts to the contrary, I will kick you to the curb. I don't care who your mother is."

El looked back, struck, for a moment, by the suddenness. A part of her almost wanted to be offended. Another part rose to the surface, though. She smiled in a way she knew was ever the mirror of the one that had just left. It seemed to put the man off a bit.

"You're going to be my Snapper, aren't ya?" El said.

Mr. Jacobsen now looked very confused. "Excuse me?"

"Don't worry about it, boss," El replied. "Rest assured, you have me for the duration." The young woman glanced around the collection of desks in the open floor setting situated around the central design table. "So where do I sit?"

Jacobsen led her to a door off to one side, opening it to reveal a nearly claustrophobic space, occupied by one, long file cabinet that would clearly block the path when any of the drawers were opened, and, sandwiched between that and a small window, a desk, computer and chair. If the man intended this to shame the young woman, he was surely surprised when she clapped her hands with glee.

"My own closet? Yay!" El exclaimed.

Mr. Jacobsen only grumbled and directed her to the desk. "Assignments are posted to the server. Make sure to check due dates. If you need help finding it, I'll see if I can get one of my writers to show you how."

"Oh, I don't think that'll be necessary," El said. A few swift keystrokes and she turned the monitor so her boss could see the CatCo intranet already laid out. "The filing system is very intuitive. Also, cards on the table, not the first time I've played around in the CatCo network."

The man goggled for a moment, but cleared his throat and tried to look serious again. "Well, then, you should be able to get started right away. There should be a half-dozen drafts waiting for you."

"Can do, boss man," the young woman replied with a salute.

"Hey, Nate," came another voice. A woman with sandy, shoulder-length hair stepped into the doorway. "They're taking lunch orders, do we know if the princess is going to want anything?"

"Why don't you ask her?" Jacobsen replied, nodding towards El, who waved.

"Oh!" the woman replied.

"Hi," said El. "Silly me, I left my tiara at home."

"Uh, hello," said the woman, embarrassed. "I'm Viola. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," El replied with a smile. "And to answer your question, no lunch for me. My moms are taking me out."

"Moms?" Viola immediately asked.

"El Danvers-Luthor," the young woman added, still smiling. "At your service."

The woman exchanged a worried look with Jacobsen, who could only shake his head. The man cleared his throat before grabbing the door.

"I'll expect those drafts to be finished by their due dates, Ms. Danvers-" and he nearly choked on the next part, "Luthor."

El saluted again. The man shook his head once more and closed the door, locking the girl away, ostensibly for her own good but quite possibly, now that they had actually met her, for theirs. El chuckled to herself. After a minute, when it was clear they were content to lock the princess away, she turned to the window. She reached up a hand and pushed against the frame. It slid up an inch, opening to the noise of downtown National City. El smiled.

A private office and an unsecured window. Thank you, Jeju.

She left the window open and began working, serenaded by the sounds of the metropolis outside. It was, as expected, not the most challenging work around, noting grammatical errors and fact-checking various articles. Moreover, El handled it quickly, easily correcting factual inconsistencies and citing sources. But that was the idea. Despite what her coworkers might think, (and she was confident they'd learn to love her), she was quite content to put in a few hours a week in this closet, all alone.

The reason why caught her ears a few minutes later. The screech of tires and, somewhere, a distant scream. Ah, yes, her other job.

With a quick glance to, and through, her door to confirm she was quite unwatched, El took off her glasses. Then she leapt out the window.

All in a day's work.


	20. Parties and Potstickers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First meetings. Lena Luthor, aged 16, attends a party at the behest, (read: insistence), of Lillian. There she makes the acquaintance of one Cat Grant, among other familiar faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this one on my mind for a while, based on a line in New Supergirl about Lena meeting Cat, and, well, it kind of got away from me. You'll see.  
> Enjoy.

"Stop fidgeting."

It's said with an even tone, no raised voice, no outward marks of hostility, but it might as well be the click of gun being cocked. Lillian is the master of the subtle put-down, and the even more subtle put-in-place. Lena goes stock still, hands pressing to the leather of the car seat on either side of her thighs. She's tempted to let out a sigh but knows instantly that won't be tolerated any better than fidgeting with her fingers.

She hates these events. It's not the getting dressed up or the crowds or the venues. It's not even the themes, which ostensibly are worthy causes but mostly serve to make stuck-up, rich people feel like they are contributing something to the world. It's just everything. The whole atmosphere of the night, which bleeds into the day preceding it. She spent the better part of the afternoon getting trimmed and pressed and painted until her face was perfect and her hair immaculate, and, while she might look gorgeous, it's all a sixteen-year-old can do not to rumple it up out of sheer, adolescent rebellion. But she can't do that. Lillian would kill her.

So she fidgets with her hands, but that too, it seems, is off the menu. Lena ran a hand down her dress, smoothing the skirt but mostly for something to do with her hands and the nervous anxiety that's only ramping up the closer the limo gets to their destination.

Dress, too, is exquisite. The shoes, alone, she knows cost more than most people make in a month. There was a time when she might not have felt guilty about that, when the glitz and the glamor of it all seemed so regal and fantastic.

She had run across a television program, once, when she had been left alone and Lillian wasn't judging her choice of media. It was a commercial for some thing or other, obviously directed at the stereotypically female, very pink and purple, which aren't bad, in themselves, but are when you think they're the only things girls like, just like make-up and dresses and princesses. That was the word that had caught her attention. Something about how it was glamorized, like being preened and polished and put on display was the height of fantasy. Lena had wanted to judge the girl in the commercial for thinking so, but reminded herself she might have too at her age. It was an innocent dream.

But Luthors do not have innocent dreams. No, Luthors take innocent dreams and turn them into something cold and calculated. With a shiny price tag for someone to buy.

Lena had been called "the Luthor princess” more than once. The idea, now, made her want to puke. What she was was the Luthor show pony. Something to be exhibited, praised (to a point), but mostly just to be seen, not heard. And tonight was no exception. It was Lillian's last chance to really show her adopted daughter off before the gifted genius was shipped away to college.

Lena allowed herself the quietest of exhales at the thought. MIT had felt like the rainbow's end for so long. Not just for the opportunity of study at a top university but for the freedom it represented. She half-expected the rug to be pulled out from under her at any moment, but Lillian seemed all for it. Maybe she had some devious scheme to continue micromanaging the girl's life, even in Cambridge, or maybe the Luthor matriarch was just as much looking forward to not having to worry about the dark-haired girl, a chance to cut her loose. Lena couldn't say she dreaded the idea, though she couldn't deny the apprehension she felt at the thought of her last name following her to new places, how it would introduce the girl long before she entered the room and undoubtedly color people's opinions of her before she ever got a chance to correct them.

The limo rolled to a stop in front of a Metropolis high-rise. Lena could see the paparazzi lined up on either side of the entrance, flashbulbs already blinding even through tinted windows. A man opened the door and Lillian slid out with ease to a torrent of flashes. Lena waited for a breath and then followed.

It was a practiced life, being a Luthor. You learned to get so good at not reacting naturally to unnatural things. Like a supernova of camera shots that would normally make one squint. A Luthor took it in stride, smiling, eyes focused against the torrent. Lillian smiled that smile that meant nothing and wrapped an arm around Lena, which also meant nothing, just like the smile Lena similarly pasted on.

It was a quick but steady march past the double line of photographers. Shouts of random questions, even a few accusations, passed overhead. Again, standard fare for a Luthor. Soon they were inside, ushered into the elevator, where the hand dropped from Lena's shoulder. They rode up to the penthouse level, and the doors of the lift opened on a familiar face.

"You're late," Lex commented through a smile of his own.

"Fashionably," was Lillian's reply as she kissed her son on the cheek, brushing past him into the party, which was already in full swing.

Lex patted Lena on the back. The girl allowed herself the hope that the brotherly affection was genuine. Lex had been a comrade-in-arms when she first arrived, just as much a showpiece, (read: victim), as her. Nevertheless, over the years, he had grown into his Luthor upbringing, shifting more and more to the cold and calculating titan mother fully intended him to be.

Lena followed, keeping pace with Lillian as she strode into the milling crowd of the event. People greeted and nodded in their direction, but mostly they parted like the sea before their wake. They were Luthors, after all. It was expected.

The dance quickly began. The one Lillian lead Lena through at every one of these things, the motions as practiced and perfected as any floor routine. There were the important people to meet, the big names to cross of the list. The important people to avoid. The ones you went to and the ones you made come to you. Each interaction was nearly scripted.

"Lillian!" said with exultation, and sometimes thinly-veiled disdain. Then the usual catching-up, boasting over all the things that anyone could know by reading the news, some subtle mention of future endeavors or holidays, then onto the next one of the list.

The fact that one of the important things to boast about was Lena's college path meant the girl was forced to follow close behind while Lillian made a point of mentioning what an accomplishment that was "for the family." The girl resisted the urge, over and over, to roll her eyes, choosing, wisely, to smile instead while praises were heaped, literally over her head, to land on the already fertile Luthor fields.

As Lillian made her way about the room, Lena managed to catch a glimpse through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows that dominated the outer wall of the space, opening onto a brilliant balcony and an even more dazzling display of the Metropolis skyline. The girl pondered for a moment standing out there and just taking in the night, before she was quickly chided to keep up.

The night was shaping up to be much like the rest, exhausting in its demands on the teen, with very little promise of any respite or, shameful to think, a moment to herself. Parties are not parties for Luthors; they are parade grounds. Still, at least one Luthor seemed to be enjoying himself. Lex had quickly made himself acquainted with some of the more eligible attendees, a drink in one hand, some finely dressed hip or shoulder in the other. It looked almost fun. But Lena reminded himself her brother was only allowed freedom of movement, outside of Lillian's constant attendance, because he had demonstrated an ability to multitask. He could enjoy himself and do business at the same time. They were often one in the same.

"Mrs. Luthor!' came a new voice, cutting through the crowd, and stopping the Luthor train in its tracks. Lena watched Lillian's face go sullen for all of a second before the polite smile resumed its place and the woman spun on her heels to greet the owner of the voice.

"Catherine!" she replied, greeting a blonde woman about her own age that Lena instantly recognized.

"Oh, no need to stand of ceremony," the woman replied, with a smile of her own, though less painted on and, surprisingly, less polite. "'Ms. Grant' will do just fine."

"I didn't expect to see you here," Lillian strove on. "I didn't know they let _press_ just mingle in." And the p-word might as well have been an accusation. Ms. Grant, however, was undeterred.

"They do!" she replied with relish. "Of course, I'm also wearing the title of 'CEO' these days."

"Ah, yes, that little magazine of yours. How is it doing? Print, of course, is such a precarious, business venture."

"Thank you for asking," Cat said, again lobbing the ball back with ease. "Splendidly. We just broke ground on the new headquarters in National City."

"Well, not everyone has what it takes to thrive in a city as cutthroat as Metropolis"

"True. Then again some of us build our empires and others just marry into them."

Lena watched the interaction with all the fascination of a championship tennis match. It was obvious the two woman completely loathed each other, not surprising as so few people "liked" Lillian, and Lillian "liked" even less, but what was astonishing was how obvious it was from Ms. Grant. Nowhere was the polite veil drawn over the contempt, no pasted on smile, no fake laugh at a bad joke. Lena could tell that Cat absolutely hated Lillian, which only served to draw the woman into the girl's admiration, and felt no compunction to feign or fawn, as so many did, at some chance to garner even a morsel of the sought-after Luthor favor. And that, more than anything, Lena knew instantly, was what Lillian really hated about her, and why the former-reporter-turned-media-mogul could smile, genuinely, past all the obvious barbs the Luthor matriarch threw at her: Cat Grant actually considered herself Lillian's equal.

"And this must be the talented Lena Luthor I've heard so much about," Cat added suddenly, turning to the girl.

It caught Lena off-guard, but she managed a polite curtsy and a nod. When she looked back up, it was with astonishment, as she realized Cat Grant was actually looking at her. Not over or around her, not politely noting her presence, but **at** her.

"And how are we enjoying ourselves this evening, Ms. Luthor?" Cat addressed her.

Lena did not forget the very palpable presence of Lillian. She smiled. "Very well, Ms. Grant."

"I'll bet," Cat replied. "Paraded around like a show dog. What's not to love?"

And the girl might have been insulted, only she caught the very obvious glance the woman made to the third in this conversation, and Lena realized the jibe wasn't to her at all.

"Well, it's been an absolute pleasure, Catherine," Lillian lied. "But I'm afraid I have a full evening." She set a hand, not so warmly, on her daughter's shoulder. "Especially minding this one. Come along, Lena."

"Oh, I wouldn't mind watching her."

The comment spun Lena's head, already turning to follow Lillian. The Luthor woman stared back at Ms. Grant.

"Come now, Lillian," Cat continued. "It'd be so much easier to work the room without an adolescent hanger-on."

That Lena felt. It seemed they were back to talking over her. She felt disappointed, if unsurprised. Lillian gave her a look, though, then smiled again.

"If you insist, Catherine," she said and turned to the girl. "This should be an education." She tapped Lena on the shoulder in the way the girl had memorized. A sign to pay attention but never forget who you are. Who you represent, that is.

Lena nodded and turned back to Ms. Grant, who was looking **at** her again. With a smile that felt genuine, that felt warm and strangely motherly.

“An education, indeed,” the CatCo CEO commented before turning on her heels in that very same way that said the girl was meant to follow.

Lillian was one thing, this felt infantilizing. Thus the teen allowed herself a sigh and muttered under breath, "I don't need a babysitter."

"What was that?" came the lightning reply as Cat spun on her heels.

Lena's gaze dropped immediately. A tremor passed through her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't catch that," Ms. Grant repeated coolly.

"Nothing," Lena said. She felt a hand under her chin, gently lifting her gaze to the CEO's.

"I'm a journalist," Cat said in a serious, though not mean, tone. "I value honesty. If you're going to say something, say it with conviction or not at all."

Lena gulped but did not break that gaze. It was less a rebuke and more a challenge. So very different than Lillian.

"I don't need someone to watch me," the teen replied evenly.

"I'm sure you don't." Ms. Grant smiled and held up a finger. "But we both know your mother is not going to let you run around unattended, so you can either stay with her, or you can spend some time with me." She leaned closer. "I promise I'm much more fun at parties than she is."

Then she stepped back. And Lena realized, again surprised, that the woman was leaving the choice up to her. It wouldn't be hard to be more fun than Lillian. Still, she didn't have to think long. Lena nodded.

"Perfect," Cat said and fluidly turned to tap a nearby waiter with a tray of drinks. "Be a dear and get me a champagne and a sparkling cider for the lady." The woman reached into her clutch, pulled out a bill, and fluidly tucked it into the waiter's vest pocket.

The man quickly nodded. "Of course, ma'am," he said and scurried off. He appeared not a minute later, drinks in hand. Cat thanked him before handing Lena a glass.

"I've had alcohol before," Lena commented. The mere presence of Cat Grant was making her bold.

"I'm sure, but you won't be having it around me," Cat said. She clinked the girl's glass. "Teenagers should be teenagers. Especially teenage girls. The world makes too quick a job of turning them into adults. Remember that if you ever have children."

Lena nodded and took a sip of her drink. With a hand on her back, Cat began to lead her through the crowd. She nodded at a few faces, even posed for a few pictures, but, unlike Lillian, there didn't seem to be the sense of work to it all. It was almost as if Cat Grant was at the party to enjoy herself. That's not to say she didn't know how to work the room. She managed brief conversation here and there. The photos, too, were calculated, though Lena did not notice it at first. A photographer would approach, catch sight of Cat and immediately move to snap a photo. The woman, ever vigilant it seemed, would turn and give the camera her good side, looking stunning, no doubt. Always, though, between the girl and the camera, as if the shot only deserved one focus. Lena thought it vanity, until she realized the woman was guaranteeing that the teen was not in any of the shots, that no media sources, possibly including her own, would have an acceptable photo of the Luthor princess this evening.

"Cat!" came a voice in the crowd.

The CatCo CEO came to a sudden stop and shifted on her heels in the direction of the voice. A figure emerged from the crowd, an older, sour-looking gentleman. He gave the woman a glare but curled his lips at the edges in that put-on kind of smile Lena was all too familiar with. Cat stood resolute as a stone wall, such that the man seemed to rethink his approach.

"Ms. Grant," he tried with that smile again.

"Mr. Thorne," Cat answered.

"How nice to see you here this evening," he continued. "I was actually looking to speak with you about your latest article."

"I'm sure you were, Rupert" the woman replied smoothly. She smiled now. "That is, I imagine you were going to speak at me more than with me, and as I'm really not interested in being lectured to over a completely founded criticism, I think I'll continue my evening with this fascinating young woman." She motioned to Lena. "16, you see, and going to MIT in the fall."

Lena's eyes went wide. She didn't remember telling her that. Cat didn't give her a chance to wonder much longer before she guided her swiftly away.

"Always be willing to listen to your critics," the woman whispered to her. "Unless, of course, your critics aren't willing to listen to you. Ah, here we are." And they arrived at where Ms. Grant to be leading them. The buffet.

A long stretch of table cloth held a veritable cornucopia. Chocolates and dainties and delicacies from across the world, all beautifully arranged, and barely touched. Not surprising. Lillian had taught Lena long ago that such temptations, especially for ladies of breeding, were meant to be avoided. Cat seemed to be of a similar mind, reaching for but one bacon wrapped fig, which she ate slowly but with relish. However, she opened her clutch a moment later, took another fig and dropped it inside.

She caught the girl goggling and smirked. She held the clutch out towards her. When Lena leaned to look, she saw a plastic baggie inside.

"A lady's best friend," Cat said. She picked out a few choice pieces and deposited them neatly inside. "Help yourself," she added, motioning the girl to the table.

Lena couldn't help but look over her shoulder, certain Lillian was preying not too far. Still she helped herself to a chocolate-covered strawberry. As she perused the desserts and finger-foods, her eye happened upon a space, oddly set amidst the panoply. Something seemed to be missing. There was a silver platter with nothing on it except for a card that described a special dumpling that had been prepared. The teen figured they must be refilling them. Odd that they were all gone, when so little else had been tasted. She wondered if they were especially good but moved on to more available fare.

From there, she followed Cat out to the floor. She didn't realize until they were there, that the woman had been guiding them to a quieter corner. It surprised the girl to no end. Cat was clearly someone who could, and did, dominate the room when she wanted to.

"So, MIT?" the woman asked now that they were separated, even slightly, from the crowd. "That's quite an accomplishment at your age."

"Thank you, Ms. Grant."

"And what does a gifted, young woman like yourself what to do with that sort of degree?"

It was a standard kind of question. One Lena had been asked before, though, not in this context. People had wondered, but the question was either directed at Lillian, (or Lillian answered it, even if it wasn't), or, when it was directed at the teen, the answer was expected. Luthors were many things, well-educated very much one of them. It was understood she would be pursuing a PhD. It was further understood this would make her quite the asset to the company. Now, however, in Ms. Grant's presence, Lena was growing quite bold indeed.

"Something," the teen answered, quite seriously. "Something important. Really important."

"Change the world?" Ms. Grant asked.

Lena nodded, quite without thinking, and found she believed it.

Cat smiled. "I dare say, I believe you will."

And the conversation continued. Cat was a fountain of wisdom. And gossip. CatCo Magazine was known for hard-hitting journalism but was not above the celebrity story. And the woman knew a thing or two about everyone in the room it seemed. Soon enough, though, one of those people spied the woman across the way and decided to make his way over. Cat noticed with a look of mild amusement. She straightened up as he approached.

"I thought that was you," he said, rather smoothly. He was handsome, in a devilish way. "Surprised to see you skulking in a corner."

"I'm sorry, Maxwell," Cat replied. "Was this your corner?"

He laughed. "You never fail to please, Cat."

"Oh, Maxwell," Cat said with obvious fake enthusiasm. "A pleasure, always." She looked him up and down. "I must say I'm impressed."

"Really?" the man asked with a smile.

"Yes, I expected you to be here with some supermodel half your age, but, look at you, stag, how daring."

The crowd parted as a woman in high heels and higher skirt stepped through and draped herself over Maxwell.

"Oh, no, there she is," Cat observed.

The man grimaced slightly, then replaced the smile. His companion spied a passing tray with bubbling flutes and strode after it.

"Always with the barb, Cat," Max intoned. "Funny I don't see you here with anyone."

"That's the difference between us, Maxwell," Cat replied without even a pause. "I don't have anything to prove."

The man huffed. Then his eyes slid to Lena. He smiled.

"How terribly rude of me," he said, voice absolutely dripping with charm. He reached a hand to Lena's, took it gently, and placed a kiss on it. "Maxwell Lord," he said. "And who is this enchanting lady?"

"Too classy," Cat answered instead. She tapped the man's wrist quickly, such that he dropped the girl's hand. "And too young, Maxwell," the woman added with deep echoes of fury in her voice. "Now run along and help your date with her drinks before someone cards her."

Maxwell smiled, folding back under his mantle of self-assuredness, but he couldn't stand the gaze for too long and was soon strutting off to find his short-skirted companion.

"Always be suspicious of a man who opens with fawning praise," Cat commented as she watched him go. She turned to Lena. "He usually wants something that does not belong to him.”

They continued to watch the room for a minute. Then Ms. Grant was suddenly distracted, spying someone across the floor. The woman teased a finger at her neck. "Oh my," she whispered, then seemed to remember the girl. "I'm afraid there's someone I simply must talk to, my dear, so, although it pains me, I have to say goodbye."

Lena nodded resolutely. "Of course, Ms. Grant. Thank you for your company."

Cat caught a finger under the dark-haired girl's chin and lifted her face up. "It was an absolute pleasure, Lena. Do me a favor and never lose that lip. It will serve you well." She stepped in closer to whisper. "Also, you didn't hear it from me, but I see your mother way on the other side of the room, so she probably wouldn't notice if you slipped out that door to your right over there, which I happen to know leads to a balcony with a splendid view of the city. I will tell you, though, that, if you should decide to do so, you would probably find yourself totally alone. If that interests you at all."

Lena bit her lip to keep from smiling. "Thank you very much, Ms. Grant." And she found the response was most genuine.

Cat gave her a last wink before spinning on her heels and strutting towards a man some distance away, facing away from her. She approached and ran a hand up his spine. Lena watched the man go stiff.

"Clark Kent," Cat said with relish. "As I live and breathe. Oh, hello, Lois."

Lena watched this for a moment before checking around her, confirming Lillian was nowhere to be seen. She spied the door nearby. Turning to the room again, she stepped quietly backwards towards it. When her back hit the door, she felt for the handle, turned and slipped away.

The door led to a hallway between closed rooms. Lena followed it until it finally opened onto a private balcony. She pushed through the door and was met by warm night air. She couldn't help but inhale deeply.

Cat hadn’t been lying. The view was simply splendid. Metropolis glittered in the dark, a steady hum of traffic and tourists just far enough away to be background noise, leaving the girl alone against the jewels of the night.

"Wow," she said.

"Oh golly!" came a sudden voice to her left.

Lena spun to see a blonde girl, just about her age, standing at the far end of the balcony, who appeared as surprised at Lena's precision as Lena was at hers.

"Sorry," the girl said immediately. "I didn't think, um, there was no one out here. I thought it was okay, so I just, um, uh..."

Lena stared at the bespectacled teen for a moment as she stammered. She didn’t recognize her, but she didn’t seem to be any harm. The dark-haired girl waved off the babbling. "It's okay," the Luthor said with a shrug. "I didn't think anyone would be out here either."

"Oh," the blonde replied, pushing up her glasses as she did. Tortoise shell. They fit her face well and made her look terribly cute, in a homely way. She looked at the door nervously. ”I can go, uh..."

Lena waved her off again. "It's fine." It wasn’t like it was her balcony. Luthors may think they own everything, mostly because they do, but she wasn’t about to force another girl out, especially one who seemed to want a respite from the crowd as much as she did.

Lena gave the blonde the once-over. Her dress was nice, but Lena was ashamed to admit that her time with the Luthors had taught when to recognize designer and off-the-rack. The blonde's dress was the later but still pretty, in her opinion. Her hair was in a ponytail, set high on the back of her head. It was simple, probably hadn't taken more than ten minutes and a few spritzes of hairspray, nothing like the hours-long process Lillian had put her through to make the soft curls that framed her face. Still, just like the dress and the glasses, it worked for the girl. It made her look terribly approachable. Lena thought she finally understood the “girl next door” look. The blonde certainly seemed to exude that quality, even as she shifted awkwardly on her feet and adjusted her glasses again before reaching back towards her plate. Lena looked down and realized...

"So, you're the one who stole all the potstickers!” she exclaimed.

The blonde glanced down at the plate. She looked back up in horror. "Was I not... They said it was... I just assumed. I meant it looks like a buffet!"

Lena laughed at the blonde’s reaction and waved her off once again. "You're fine," she repeated with a nod to the room they had both snuck away from it seemed. "People don't eat half the food at these things. Someone might as well enjoy it."

The blonde nodded. She picked a dumpling off the plate that was piled high with them. "Oh my gosh, these are so good," she moaned as she chewed. "Have you had these?"

Lena nodded, jealous, for a moment, at the other teen’s unabashed enjoyment. The plate was piled high. "Yeah."

The blonde girl looked between her and the plate. She held it out. "Would you like one?"

Lena chuckled at the gesture, then took one and gingerly bit into it. She watched while the girl stuffed another in her mouth and chewed with a look of absolute bliss on her face. Lena watched her for a bit, almost fascinated, before turning back to the skyline. It was breath-taking. Most of all, it was peaceful. She could have stood there staring all night, the only thing nagging at the back of her mind would have been Lillian eventually wondering where she was, but she couldn't help but remember the blonde girl, standing quietly a few feet away from her, staring at the same skyline. Something of an anomaly. Something of a mystery.

"If you don't mind my asking," Lena said, intrigued. She always did like a mystery. ”You don't seem like you've been to this sort of thing before."

The blonde looked down, taking the plate, maybe the dress too, into account along with her general mannerisms. "That obvious, huh?" she said.

Lena shrugged. In truth, she couldn’t care one way or another. She didn’t want to be at this thing but had to. It stood to reason someone might not have to but still want to.

"I'm visiting my cousin," the blonde said. "He's a, uh, reporter. His girlfriend was going to watch me tonight. She's a reporter, too, but their editor put them both on this story, so they decided to bring me along." The girl looked down and swallowed her potsticker. "I'm supposed to not draw attention to myself." It was said with equal parts sarcasm and sincerity. Lena couldn't help but feel a twinge of empathy. Wasn't that her job? To be shown off but not to make a scene? She took another potsticker.

"I know what you mean."

The blonde smiled at that. Gosh, she could smile. Quite well. And genuinely. Nothing like the array of forced politeness that filled the room behind them. Lena decided she liked it. They chewed in silence for a while.

"If you don't mind my asking," the blonde said conversationally. "You seem like you have been to this sort of thing before."

Lena chuckled dryly. "Yeah," she said. "My family..." And she simply stopped. No part of her felt like discussing her family, discussing anything at all about her life. Reality felt so distant, here on this balcony, with the night air and the unexpected company. If she couldn’t be alone, could she, at least, not be a Luthor? ”You don't want to know about my family,” she simply replied.

"Sure, I do," the blonde offered warmly, and unexpectedly. Even in the evening light, she looked like she glowed, like that sunny disposition was just going to shoot out her eyeballs.

"No, you don't," Lena said, adding, resignedly, "Trust me.”

"Try me," the blonde pressed on, undeterred. "It can't be that bad."

"It can," Lena assured her.

Blondie sidled up beside her at the railing. "You could at least tell me your name."

"If I told you my name," Lena pointed out. "You would know who I am."

"Just your first name," the sunny girl said. She giggled. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

"No," Lena averred though she was tempted, to know the other girl’s name at least.

"Come on," the blonde complained. "I could guess. You want me to guess? I'm really good at guessing. Here, I'll start with A's and you tell me if I get-"

Lena reached over, grabbed a potsticker, and shoved it in the girl's mouth. She froze. Lena too. They stood there, awkwardly staring. The blonde almost looked sad. Then her eyes crinkled. She started laughing, giggling, even with her mouth full. Lena, despite herself, found herself laughing too.

"Sorry," she said, turning back to the skyline.

The blonde chewed and swallowed the dumpling. "It's okay." She leaned against the railing and bumped Lena's arm playfully. "You really don't want to know?"

Lena sighed. "Look at it this way," she said after a moment's thought. "Tonight, we're strangers, which means we don't have to worry about not liking each other, because we could be anyone, and we'll go away with a perfect memory." She looked at her companion with another sigh. She put on a wan smile. "Of potstickers and fantastic views." She swept an arm toward the city.

The blonde looked like she didn't think this was a good idea, but she didn't say anything for some time.

"You really don't think we'd like each other?" she finally asked.

Lena looked down guiltily. "It doesn't matter," she said because it didn’t. "We don't have to risk it." She looked at the blonde. "It's better this way." Because it was. Because, like the party, like the polite interactions between mostly heartless people, it was all a fantasy, a shared delusion for the night. This was theirs. This was Lena’s. A moment to be something other than what she was asked to be, day in and day out. Something that couldn’t, and shouldn’t, last. Though, in those deep blue eyes, she wasn't sure she believed it.

"I think I would like you."

Lena looked at the blonde girl. "What makes you say that?"

She smiled. "You seem nice."

Lena almost laughed. "You don't know me." She took another potsticker.

"Whose fault is that?" blondie shot back with a smirk. She looked down. "I like your hair."

Lena wanted to look away, but she couldn't. "I like your glasses."

In the dim light of the city, the dark-haired girl could still spot the blonde's blush.

"Do you do this often with people?" the girl asked. "Meet them but don't exchange any important information?"

Lena laughed. "You'd be my first."

"That makes me feel pretty special."

Lena gripped the railing and leaned back, wondering why, in the moment, making the blonde feel special made her feel special. "I'm glad," she replied honestly.

"Would it be so bad to be my friend?" the blonde said with a playful pout.

Lena motioned between them, drawing a finger from her to the bubbly blonde. "Other way around."

"You don't seem so bad."

"It's my family," Lena explained.

"Oh, right, your family," the blonde nodded and looked out at the city. "Real jerks, huh?"

Lena burst into laughter. It wasn't just the comment. It was that it was delivered in such a way that convinced you 'jerks' was the harshest word the blonde knew. Like she really thought that was a terrible insult.

"Yeah," Lena agreed when she got her breath back. "Real jerks."

"You know," the blonde suggested, passing over the plate. "We could still be friends. Right now."

"Just for tonight?" Lena asked.

"Why not?" The blonde looked around them. "We'll be balcony buddies."

Lena rolled her eyes. The blonde held up a dumpling.

"Potsticker pals?"

And Lena was laughing again. "You are such a dork."

"See?" the blonde said. "We're already old friends." She chewed another potsticker. Lena bumped her hip playfully.

"Balcony buddies, it is," she decided.

And the blonde smiled. It really was like the sun coming out.

"You know," she offered after another minute. "If you wanted to be more than balcony buddies, I'd be okay with that."

Lena sighed once more. She turned to the blonde. "You don't even live here, right?"

The blonde looked down for a moment. She shook her head.

"See?" Lena said, trying be reassuring, trying to be gentle, as the blonde girl seemed to warrant it so. "We're never going to see each other again."

"Maybe," the blonde said. "But they have this thing called the Internet. Have you heard of it? It's amazing!" And she seemed so sincere and heartfelt, that Lena thought she'd melt.

"I'm aware of it," she said instead, with a laugh. "It's better this way, I promise." She glanced back at the blonde, disappointed. She grabbed a potsticker. "We have tonight," she said, and she meant it. "If it's any consolation, I think I'm going to remember this for a long time."

And the blonde smiled again. There was the sadness in her eyes. Lena could feel it behind her own. "Me, too," she said.

And that was that. They turned back to the skyline, to the night. They passed potstickers between them and told old jokes. One hour, two maybe, were passed that way. Lena did not want it to end.

But it did.

She happened to glance over her shoulder and spy a figure she recognized in the hallway behind them. He seemed to be poking his head into the offices. She didn’t have to wonder who he was looking for. She turned urgently to the blonde and pointed to the far back corner of the balcony.

“Go over there,” she said.

“What?” blondie asked.

“Over there, quick,” Lena ordered. The blonde girl gave her an odd look. “Just please go.” The glasses teen complied, tucking herself into the corner with her potstickers. “And don’t make a sound,” Lena added.

A moment later the door opened and a bald man stepped into the night. “There you are,” he said with annoyance. “Mother’s about to have a conniption. You weren’t supposed to wander off.”

“Sorry,” Lena said. Her eyes darted towards the girl before she quickly yanked them back.

Lex motioned to the door. “Are you coming?”

“I’ll be right there.”

“Mother doesn’t like waiting,” her brother reminded her. “You know that.”

“I’m sorry, okay?” Lena pleaded. “Just give me a sec.”

Lex sighed like this was a bit too much. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll continue to pretend to look for you.” And he stepped back into the hallway.

Lena watched him go. He stopped at the far end and seemed to be waiting. She turned to the blonde.

“You have to go, huh?” she asked.

Lena nodded. She stepped to the door. There was more to be said, but she didn’t want to say it. Despite all her insistence, she didn’t want the night to end, and, if they didn’t say goodbye, maybe it wouldn’t.

“Thanks for the potstickers,” she said instead and reached for the door.

“Thanks for everything else,” the blonde replied.

Lena nodded and stepped through the door. She found Lex at the end of the hallway and managed to keep the tears from flowing, even when they found Lillian, who could only glare. The girl didn’t cry at all, not until she was back at the mansion, back in her room, where she let one tear fall onto her pillow. It felt like enough, she told herself. For potstickers and laughter but no names. She didn’t need to dwell on it. She didn’t have to wonder if she’d ever make a friend like she thought she could have made with the blonde girl in the tortoise shell glasses. It was just a night. It was just a party, one she didn’t even want to go to. It didn’t have to mean anything more, and, even if it did, it wasn’t like she was ever going to ever see the blonde girl again.

Right?


	21. Satellite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El's first day of kindergarten. How much you figure Kara and Lena are having a harder time of it than her?

"You've got everything?" Lena asked, fussing over the girl's outfit, adjusting the backpack, the hair.

"Yes, Mommy," El replied, her voice conveying the number of times the woman had asked, had fussed, since she got up this morning.

"What about your lunch?" Kara inquired.

"Yeah," the six-year-old insisted.

It was a wonder they had made it out of the penthouse. First days were big. First days of school were huge, and Mom and Jeju were not doing anything to diminish this one. Quite the opposite.

In their defense, it was the first day of kindergarten, and, perhaps by dint of being their first and only child, perhaps because of El being a hybrid of human and Kryptonian, (always tricky when you don't know if or when your child might develop heat vision), or very likely an unholy combination of those factors, the couple was taking this all VERY seriously.

And now they were on the steps of El's school. The soon-to-be kindergartener shifted from one foot to the other, impatient and excited in the way only children can be, while her mothers quietly freaked out.

"Well, it looks like you've got everything," Lena repeated, as much to herself as to anyone. "You're going to have lots of fun?"

El nodded exuberantly.

"I bet you will," Lena said with a smile, then worried her lip. "We'll be right here to pick you up, okay?"

The girl nodded again, more restlessly.

"Your mommies love you," Kara said, kneeling down next to Lena in front of their daughter. "You know that, right?"

The child nodded, once more, almost sarcastically.

"We love you, Ellie baby," Lena repeated, punctuating it with a kiss to the girl's cheek. The six-year-old smiled as she pulled away, only for Kara to suddenly feel the need to kiss the other cheek. For symmetry.

"Jeju, I gotta go!" El protested.

"Okay, little one," the blonde said reluctantly, letting the girl pull away fully and bound up the steps even as the school bell began to sound. A teacher stood at the top, holding the door open as the little girl skipped through ecstatically. They waved to the two mothers, an understanding smile on their face. No doubt they'd seen this sort of thing play out a thousand times.

The women stood for a long time, staring at the school door.

"She's going to be okay, isn't she?" Kara asked.

"Yeah," Lena replied, somewhat worriedly. "She's always been smart for her age. She'll do fine."

"I mean," Kara added. "She'll like make friends and stuff, right?"

"Of course," Lena said immediately, then met her wife's gaze, unsure now. "I mean, we made sure she was properly socialized, and... She's El... Right?"

"Yeah," Kara tried, the burden of comforting the other seeming to pass back and forth between them like a relay baton. "She's great. The kids will love her."

"The teacher's will love her."

"Everybody will love her!" Kara nearly shouted, happy but with a vein of anxiety running through. She breathed, trying to bring down her surprisingly elevated heart rate. "She'll be fine."

"Yeah," Lena agreed out of a sheer need to agree with that. "She'll do fine."

They both turned back to stare at the school entrance as the morning ticked on by.

"When do they let out?" Kara asked.

"Three o'clock," Lena replied.

They stared. This was going to be a long day.

Finally, as it, at last, became clear they were well past standing here for too long, they both sighed in unison.

"Well, I should get back to the office," Lena finally broke the ice. "I'm sure there is a mountain of emails waiting for me."

"Me, too," Kara agreed.

Still they lingered.

"I suppose I should call a car," Lena mentioned, turning, at last, away from the school to dial her phone, only to realize she had already called a car to bring them here, which was still there, waiting by the curb this entire time. The driver gave her a bemused if sympathetic grin. "Oh," the dark-haired woman added.

"I'll see you at lunch?" Kara asked.

"Of course," Lena replied, leaning in to plant a kiss on the blonde's cheek. She stepped back, then reconsidered, and stepped forward to plant a much deeper kiss on her wife's lips. "Need a ride?" Lena said, when they had finally parted.

"No," Kara sighed. "I think I'll walk. I mean..." She pointed to the sky. "You know."

"Are you sure? CatCo's on the way."

"Yeah, I just need the wind in my hair for a minute." She glanced back at the building. "Keep my mind off of... you know?"

Lena nodded. She kissed her wife again. They clasped hands as she stepped towards the car, arms stretching until they couldn't hold any more. With a last wave, the dark-haired woman got in the car, and it drove off. Kara watched it go. Then, with a last glance at the school, she strolled down the block, where she found a convenient spot of brush to take off.

She landed on the helipad of CatCo shortly after. The blonde adjusted her blouse as she stepped towards the roof door and came to a sudden stop. She turned back to the edge of the roof.

She was being silly, she told herself. It was kindergarten. Literally, millions of tiny, adorable children were experiencing the high and lows, thrills and spills of the first day of school. All bundled up in their little backpacks that were almost too big for them, and their shoes, tied neatly, and their hair in cute pigtails with those butterfly barrettes, and- Okay, she was not helping herself.

It was just a lot, and the world was so big, and El... El was so tiny. So tiny and hopeful and bright, and it didn't matter if Kara was bulletproof, she would gladly face any peril if it meant the girl never so much as suffered a scraped knee.

Which was why she just had to close her eyes and strain her ears, blocking out the winds and sounds of the city, focusing, funneling down until one sound came to her, the tiny, delicate heartbeat that belonged to her heart now pulled from her body. She expanded it out, until she could hear the voice attached to it. A peal of laughter caught her ears, and Kara gasped in relief. She was enjoying herself. She stepped back away from the edge of the roof but did not let her hearing unfocus, holding that beautiful sound for as long as she could.

At last, she moved towards the door again but found she was just as hesitant to go in. She pulled out her phone, dialing the one person who might be able to talk her down.

"Danvers," the voice on the other end answered.

"Were you freaking out this much when Astrid went to school?" Kara asked without preamble or greeting.

"That depends," her sister answered without pause. "Are you using super-hearing to listen in on El right now?"

Kara exhaled deeply. "Maybe."

"Then, yeah, probably the same," Alex admitted. "I was at DEFCON 2 for most of the first week."

"Week?!" Kara exclaimed. "It hasn't been a half hour!"

"You know your daughter is smart, charming, and extremely resilient," Alex said. "Thanks in large part to her amazing mothers, and equally talented aunt?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kara replied, pacing the helipad now.

"How's Lena taking all this?"

"Probably a lot better than me."

"Just go to work," her sister advised. "You'll be distracted, and, before you know it, 2:30 will roll around."

"3 o'clock, actually," Kara corrected.

"Oh, well then, you're doomed," Alex deadpanned.

"Thanks, Alex," Kara replied sarcastically.

"She's going to be fine."

"Yeah, yeah," the blonde repeated. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Kara managed to get down to her office, eventually, and, for the first time in her entire career, was joyously grateful there was an issue meeting this morning, sure it would provide the distraction she needed.

It didn't work, unfortunately, as, even in the midst of discussion over what she knew was very important information, the reporter kept letting her hearing drift to the other end of the city, anxious then relieved to hear the little thrum of that tiny heart. Finally, she had to give up. The moment the meeting was over, she told her editor she was going to do some research, grabbed her bag, and then promptly headed for the roof.

She landed back near the convenient spot of trees. She wasn't going to go inside, she told herself. That would be crazy and embarrassing. But she knew there was a park next to the school with a bench she remembered that faced the building. Surely, planting herself there wouldn't be too overbearing, would it?

Whether it would be or not, the blonde still made a beeline towards the spot, only to see, to her shock, that it was already taken.

"How long did you last?" Kara asked as she slid onto the bench beside its only other occupant.

"I never even made it to the office," Lena replied. "I got halfway there, then promptly told the driver to turn around." She reached out a hand to grasp her wife's. They stared in silence.

"Is it too late for home school?" Kara finally asked, half serious, but Lena still laughed.

"Probably," the dark-haired woman replied. She sighed. "I can't get that image out of my head. Her bounding up those stairs."

"I know what you mean."

"It just occurs to me that every major milestone from here on out will involve her walking away from us."

Kara had to sigh to. "First grade."

"Second."

"High school."

"College."

"Job."

"Marriage."

"Oh, Rao," Kara exclaimed, her hand flying to her eyes, trying to force the tears back where they came from.

Lena squeezed her hand tighter. "But we have to, right? I mean if she stayed at home forever, it would mean we did something wrong.” She tilted her head in worried thought. “Then again, if she just leaves forever, then we messed up too."

Kara stroked a thumb over the back of Lena's hand, thankful for the warmth of her skin in that moment. "If she flies away, we failed. If she stays in the nest, we failed," she said. She turned to her wife. "How do we know if we succeeded?"

Lena could only shake her head. "I don't have the foggiest idea. I really don't." And that was saying something for the genius CEO. "My own mother died before I was old enough to even think to ask, and any advice on parenting Lillian might provide I'd rather burn in effigy that listen to."

"Seconded," Kara said and shook her head as well. "My mother made me go. She put me in an escape pod and shot me off the planet. I'm not even sure what to do with that, sometimes."

Lena slid closer on the bench to Kara, sitting in the thoughts of their own absent parents for the moment. She finally smirked.

"You know who that leaves?" she whispered.

Kara managed a chuckle.

"Eliza," they said in unison.

"I never really understood," Lena said when the laughter had died down, when that somber anxiousness was with them again. "When people talked about parenting, but I get it now. It's like a part of you is outside yourself. You can't help but be scared for it."

Kara nodded. "I thought kryptonite was my greatest weakness, but that little girl... I don't know what I would do."

"Can you hear her?" Lena asked after another long moment.

Kara nodded. "She's just answered a math problem while the teacher was explaining it."

"That's my girl," Lena said, grinning ear-to-ear. "She's always going to leave," she said later.

"Yeah," Kara replied. "But she'll come back too. Maybe that's how we'll know."

Lena turned to plant a kiss against her wife's chin, then settled her head on her shoulder. "As long as she knows, no matter how far she flies, she can always come back."

"That reminds me of something from the book of Rao."

Lena looked up at her wife.

"The children of Rao know his light will always be there," Kara went on. "Even when it is night, when our backs are turned to him, Rao still shines, father to all."

Lena considered this. "Astronomy," she said at last. "Why didn't I see it before?"

Kara looked down at her.

"She goes. She comes back." The woman drew out a circle in the air with her finger. "She's in orbit, and we're her gravity well."

Kara smiled. "Our little satellite. I like that."

Lena squeezed Kara's hand again, warmed by the thought. She exhaled. "We really should get to work," the CEO admitted.

"Yeah," the blonde replied, holding onto the hand as she locked eyes with the dark-haired woman. "Or?"

Lena didn't answer, only slid further on the bench until she was pressed fully against her wife. Kara looped their hands over Lena’s head until her arm was around the woman's shoulder. They sat and they waited.

They wouldn't do it tomorrow. Or the next day. They probably wouldn't need to. Probably. But for today, they waited. For today, the world could wait.

And when 3 o'clock finally rolled around, they were right there, with smiling faces, to greet their little satellite.


	22. Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are spaces we live in, and there are spaces we live in together.  
> The story of how a penthouse became a home.

It started, as most ideas do, in a very unplanned way.

They were in Kara's apartment. Eating, unsurprisingly. They had been dating for some months now. The newness had dimmed. Of course, Lena and Kara had long since become comfortable with each other; it was the rest of the world that took some time to come to terms with this. Still, there were milestones, anniversaries, birthdays, holidays. Simple things that took on a new light when you were experiencing them with someone else, someone you only just now realized you wanted to experience everything with.

They had formed a schedule, of sorts. Again, unsurprisingly, it tended to revolve around food. There were regular lunches in Lena's office, the occasional date night, out at a, sometimes, nice restaurant, which usually preceded a media storm of pictures capturing the event. The rest of the world still being occasionally obsessed with the pair. A coffee in the afternoon, every so often, delivered via air transport. And, while life was still hectic for a CEO and a superhero, more often that not, they found themselves right here at dinner time, in one of the other of their apartments. If Lena had to pick, she'd prefer those nights. Whether a home-cooked meal or take-out, at normal hours or late at night after a full day of some kind of disaster, they always ended up on the couch, wrapped up in each other; there was less pomp, but, by that token, it was all the more enjoyable. They were all the more themselves. New angles and facets were discovered, and they, invariably, found that they liked one another more and more. Those nights also tended to be followed by very pleasant mornings and breakfasts.

"You know," Lena said, picking a pepperoni off her pizza to chew.

She watched Kara as she did, noting the disapproving glare she gave her. There had been a conversation, some weeks back, where the blonde had pointed out how her girlfriend invariably liked to "dismantle" her food before eating it. Lena had mentioned that she was an engineer, and it seemed only natural. She had further pointed out it was probably better than shoving everything in your mouth wholesale, like some people. Kara had been offended before stuffing another potsticker in her mouth and descending into giggles.

"I spend so much time in your apartment," the brunette went on. "I feel like I should split rent with you or something."

Kara seemed to actually consider the idea for a second, before smiling and affectionately slapping her girlfriend's thigh. "I spend just as much time at your place," she commented, then seemed to think it over some more. "Would you want me to split rent with you?"

"Well, I own my penthouse, Kara," Lena replied. "So it would be kind of pointless. Also, no offense, but I don't know that you could afford it."

Kara was visibly offended. "Excuse me," she said. "I make good money."

Lena held up her hands like they were the plates of a scale. “CEO? Reporter?” The hands wavered back and forth. A clear winner.

"Hey, I can afford this place!"

"Yes, you can," Lena laughed. "And you know I love your apartment, but mine is bigger and a little more... upscale."

The blonde was not about to let that go. "You know what, challenge accepted. I'm going halfsies on rent."

"Again, Kara, I own the place."

"Hypothetically, though," the reporter insisted. "Come on. What would that be?"

Lena gave this a moment's thought, then grabbed a pen out of her purse and a napkin from the table. She jotted down a rough estimate and handed it over. Kara looked at the number.

"Okay, I can't go halfsies on rent."

Lena laughed. "I thought you made good money?" she asked playfully.

"Not that good!" Kara stared back at the figure. "I don't know if I could even touch half of this."

"Oh, darling," Lena said, seriously. She tapped the napkin. "That is half."

"Oh, well, then." Kara took the napkin and proceeded to shred it, to Lena's heartfelt guffaws.

The dark-haired woman considered her girlfriend, melodramatically ruing her economic portfolio. Lena leaned over to twist a finger in brilliant, blonde locks.

"You know," she said gently. "If you wanted me to help you with rent, I'd be happy to."

"Lena!" Kara objected immediately.

"I wouldn't mind, really."

"Lena, I don't need help."

"I know! I'm just saying I could."

Kara groaned. She shook her head. "How would I ever pay you back?" she said and indicated the torn remains of the napkin.

Lena almost replied with something about not requiring it, but a thought occurred to her first. A devious smile played across her mouth. She bit her lip and leaned into her girlfriend's ear.

"I accept payment _in kind_ ," she whispered and delighted in the shiver it produced.

"So, like what?" Kara had to ask, clearing her throat and trying desperately to quell the blush on her face. "I'm going to be your sugarbaby now?"

"Ooh," Lena replied, quite pleased. "I like the sound of that."

Kara tried to appear like she didn't, though she clearly looked like she did. "I'll have you know, madam, I am not so easily bought."

Lena quickly huffed her disbelief. She shifted on the couch, throwing her leg over to fully straddle Kara. To further punctuate her point, she grabbed a slice of pizza from the box and held it up. She watched Kara sweat, eyes darting between the dish and the dish holding it.

"Yes, you are,” Lena said.

The blonde looked very much like she wanted to object but had absolutely no conceivable means to do so. Lena settled further across her girlfriend's hips as she leaned back, the pizza held enticingly over her chest.

"Now," she drawled. "Are you going to be good for Mommy?"

Kara's eyes went wide. Her jaw dropped. "You. Did. Not," she said to her girlfriend's uproarious laughter. Laughter that turned into a panicked squeal when the blonde threw the brunette over her shoulder and carried the woman to the bedroom that she most certainly paid for herself.

The morning that followed was very pleasant.

At the same time, an idea was born. One Lena considered for a bit, mostly for the look of it. It seemed like something you should think over, but the reality was the woman did not have to think about it at all, because the moment it had occurred to her she realized it was exactly what she wanted. Even being a Luthor, she had never felt allowed to openly pursue her desires. There was constant expectation, formed not only by her family name but her gender. However, where Kara was concerned, because of Kara, she was learning to not only accept the things she wanted but to go after those things with pride. Kara very much being one of them.

So it really took no thought at all for her to invite Kara to her apartment one Saturday under the guise of needing help for a personal project.

The blonde showed up in a clean but well-loved tank and shorts. Lena was momentarily distracted by that. She wasn't sure she had seen Kara in shorts before. Granted, she had seen her naked, but the look of sun-kissed skin over a now extended expanse of leg was giving her ideas. The woman cleared her throat and schooled her features, now somewhat regretting the relaxed pants and worn MIT sweatshirt she had chosen for the day.

"So, let's get to it!" Kara said exuberantly once she was inside and hugs had been exchanged. Lena was a little caught off-guard.

"What?"

"You said you needed some help around the apartment," Kara replied. She smiled and planted her hands on her hips, drawing Lena's gaze back to the shorts. "I don't know if you know this, but I am very good at lifting." Her smile grew into a mischievous grin.

Lena laughed. "Well, I don't know if it will involve that much lifting." And she immediately started to question if she could hold herself to that that because, again, _legs, legs, arms, legs_. She cleared her throat once more. "I was hoping for your help from a design perspective."

"Oooooh," Kara cooed. She clapped her hands and hopped on one of the stools by the bar, crossing her ankles and swinging her legs and, once more, distracting Lena. "So what are we designing?"

"Well," Lena replied, turning to the room itself. She swept her arms over the space. "I was actually thinking of redoing my whole apartment."

"What?"

Lena spun at the exclamation. She looked at her girlfriend, utterly aghast. Kara hopped off the stool.

"You can't!" she said.

"Why not?"

"Because... Because..." And Kara spun, throwing her hands around her. "Because you can't!" she insisted. "I mean..." she added and turned to the nearest thing to her, the bar. "I mean look at these things." She picked up a stool with ease. "And this." She ran a hand down the marble top of the bar itself. "Look at these lines!"

She did a quick tour of the living room. All clean lines, of course, like the rest of the apartment. Spartan, some might say, but it had certainly served the woman well.

"It's all so you!" Kara shouted, and it really made Lena love her. Not simply the recognition but the adoration. That the blonde woman would object to changing anything on the grounds that it reminded her of Lena.

The dark-haired woman laughed. "I know, but I'm afraid that's not going to be good enough anymore."

"What?" Kara objected. "No!" she said. "No. You can't change this place it has such personality." She dashed for the kitchen, grabbing anything readily available, and lifted a ladle and sauce pan up as visual aids. "Why is this not good enough?"

And Lena laughed again. To think, she had a whole speech. She had planned to work up to it, but why not just let it out? "Because, darling, I don't think **our** apartment should be about just me, should it?"

"Well, who says...!" Kara started, quite ready to die on this particular hill. That is, until she finally caught the operative word in that last sentence. Her arms dropped, the kitchen implements dangling as she turned to her girlfriend with wide, astonished eyes. "Our?"

Lena bit her lip.

"You said 'our'," Kara added.

The brunette took a long, deep breath. "I did."

Kara stared. Slowly, she set the pan and ladle down on the counter. "Do you..." she asked, almost sheepishly. "Do you want this to be our apartment?"

"I do," Lena breathed. "If you do." She watched the blonde look at her in silence. "But you don't have to," she added quickly. "I know this is a big step, and you have your place, and it is SO you! I love it. And I know how important it is to have your own space. Trust me. I just..."

And the words stopped the moment Kara wrapped her arms around her. Lena caught her breath at last and rested her forehead against the blonde's shoulder.

"Our apartment?" Kara whispered.

Lena nodded. With tears in her voice, she answered. "Yes, Kara."

There was another pause. This one, however, was not quite as scary with the raven-haired woman wrapped in the warm, strong arms of her girlfriend.

"How do you feel about accent walls?" Kara asked.

And Lena laughed. She laughed and laughed because, like so much else, it was exactly the thing you might expect the blonde to say. while simultaneously being the last thing the dark-haired woman would ever have thought of herself. It was one of the many things that reminded Lena exactly why she loved Kara and why she could not have asked for a better person to love her. As the Luthor looked around her apartment, at the clean lines and spartan decor, she realized how, in so many ways, Kara was exactly the sort of color Lena needed in her life.

"I could consider it," she said.

* * *

There is a certain spirituality to redesigning one's space. Even a small rearranging can open up new possibilities. Redesigning your apartment when the budget had “Luthor” written at the top of it, of course, meant the sky was the limit. And Kara ran with it, moving through ideas immediately, and hounding her girlfriend for days on end with inspiration from Pinterest boards to magazine cutouts. Rather than be appalled, however, Lena was so inspired she decided to run right alongside her.

The changes were going to be extensive, and it was soon clear it would take some time to complete. Ironically, the first few months they were officially living together they were living in Kara's apartment.

The couch, before a stylish set if not altogether comfortable, went almost immediately, replaced by a plush sectional with matching lounge chairs, all over thick-piled throw rugs. A perfect ensemble for hosting game nights.

The bar, a high, nearly bachelor pad number, was removed. In its place, a broad, kitchen island of wood and granite, simply made for prepping and baking, which matched the rest of the redone kitchen, now more light and inviting. That, surprisingly, had been mostly Lena's doing. The Luthor had pondered, at first, why she had been so drawn to the appointments, the wrought-iron cabinet handles, the stone backsplash. It seemed so unlike her, less urbane, more cottage-y. That is until she saw it all together and realized the whole look touched on some long forgotten memory of another kitchen she could only recall by smell and the gentle sound of someone humming to herself. She wondered if she'd ever learn how to make scones, just right. In this kitchen, maybe she would.

She also wondered why she couldn't shake the image of a small, dark-haired figure at the table in the redesigned breakfast nook or sitting cross-legged on the bar, face dusted with flour, head tilted back in laughter, why the whole place seemed to invite this extra individual. She shelved the thought, though. Not unwanted, but one change at a time.

Then there was the bedroom. Lena's previous mattress hadn't exactly been cramped. The dark-haired woman recalled it being a little too spacious, back when she regularly slept alone. It seemed right to upgrade and yet silly, at the same time. By Kara's own admission, they were just as likely to spend every night right in the middle of it, wrapped securely in one another's arms. That didn't sound like a bad option to Lena. Still, there was this sense of "in for a penny, in for a pound." Change is a bit addicting once you really get into. So a new bed found its way into the new bedroom and a new headboard to accompany it. Kara topped it all off with a veritable menagerie of throw pillows. As if they didn’t already have ample temptation to never leave the bed in the morning.

The bathroom, however, was in need of expansion. The double sinks were a natural addition, and, if you were doing pipe work, you might as well redo the shower. The tub, though, perfect for long soaks, (also big enough to comfortably fit two people), was entirely self-indulgent. But, really, who was going to complain?

It was, in many ways, a complete transformation, so little of the original place remained. And while there was a lot of Kara there, the light, the airiness, the double-wide fridge, if you looked closely, you could find the touches, here and there, of the original occupant. In the art on the walls, classy yet bold. In the lay of the land, which emphasized traffic flow but still managed coziness on a scale that surprised even the blonde. Down to the fixtures, too, polished yet comfortable. Lena shown through, the real Lena. Not the hard-lined heiress who embraced utilitarian design because at least it wasn't the opulent superiority she had been raised in, but the confident, at times brazen, woman, who knew how to define her space. And how to welcome others into it.

* * *

"Do you miss it?" Lena asked as the last box was carried in. That first day may not have required much lifting, but this day did, as Kara insisted on carrying practically everything. Lena was not complaining.

The blonde nodded as she set the box down and looked over their redesigned, now totally shared, space. "Yeah," she admitted. "It was my first, real apartment. A lot of things happened there, good and bad. I think I'm always going to miss it."

Lena agreed. "It's where you became who you are."

"Yeah," Kara replied, a touch of bittersweet in her voice. Still, she smiled and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. She planted a kiss on the column of her neck. "But I'm excited to see who I become here."

And as Lena sighed, contentedly, in the arms of her love, here in this space, so new but already so familiar, she found she could agree. Wholeheartedly. "Me, too."

* * *

The next major redesign of the apartment did not come for several years and managed to outdo the first simply because it involved buying the entire apartment beneath them. They were growing. There had been talk of moving, of finding a bigger space, maybe even a house, and neither could remember who had made the suggestion, but, once it was made, once they realized there was an option that didn't involve them leaving this beloved space, they both agreed immediately.

And the penthouse was expanded. Kara's vast inspiration boards made an appearance once more, and new, completely un-thought-of, possibilities were entertained. Lena, sadly, nixed the indoor jungle gym and the home theater, but did approve the playroom, which could double as a guest bed, perfect for when Eliza would most certainly drop by. There was more than enough room for their daughter to grow and even map out her own space, to make it her own as much as it was theirs.

And that was the most surprising bit, how it all seemed to fit, not simply space-wise but how it all felt so expected, so right.

When she had first bought the penthouse, it had not seemed empty to Lena, a little too big for one person, perhaps, but wholly hers. Still, she had been pleasantly surprised to find room for another and realize, when they were there, that the space had not felt full without them. Now too, Lena saw it had not been complete until this third was here as well. This had been her space, then hers and Kara's. Now, it was El's as well, and all the more perfect.

Now it really was home.


	23. Family Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The eternal question: how to tell your child you're a superhero?

There are certain milestones in parenting that are important to navigate carefully. There are “first” moments. Steps, words, grades. Then there are other rites of passage, just as important, and yet, almost, scary in how important they are. Significant conversations about critical subjects, opening your child up to a world that isn’t always as bright and hopeful as you might like.

It’s a part of growing up, of course. The loss of innocence, but, also, the expansion of the self, the mind, the body. That’s why it’s so vital parents at least try to get it right. Of course, no parent really does, but trying counts.

It’s just so damn hard to know what to say, what not to say. The only real experience you have is when you were at the receiving end and all the awkwardness of that age, all the resentment of how it may have gone, sometimes even the fact that it didn’t happen at all. And so every generation of adult wonders how not to screw up every generation of children when that inevitable, momentous, yet horribly uncomfortable conversation comes around.

Conversations, for instance, around important changes in your body. Or around certain birds and certain bees. Or, in the case of a daughter with two moms, birds and other birds. And, naturally, conversation about a fat man in red and the plausibility of his yearly visits.

Santa had not really been a problem for the Luthor-Danvers household. Lena had never really leaned into the idea. Kara, on the other hand, had insisted, for far too long, that he was real, moreover, that she had met him, which would be ridiculous if she hadn’t met many, very real, very extraordinary people who made flying reindeer seem terribly mundane. The two managed to balance things out with El, such that the little girl, even at just under four, seemed to approach the whole idea with a healthy amount of emotional detachment.

Maybe, too, it was because there was another, much more serious identity issue they had to discuss. One that landed much nearer their family and liked to drop by through the skylight more than the chimney.

The question of how to break the news to their daughter that one of her mothers was National City’s own caped crusader had never been raised between the women because it had never been dropped but had, since day one, and before, been at the forefront of their minds. 

It hadn’t been much of an issue, at first. When you can barely walk and talk, one of your mothers occasionally crossing the room in the blink of an eye to catch you before you teetered off the edge of the couch was just a fun thing Jeju did. But the bigger, and smarter, (Rao, that girl was intelligent), El got, the more one had to worry as to when would be the best time to let her know. Because they had to. Kara had long since learned her lesson, (one her wife was all too ready to remind her of when needed), that secrets were best shared with the people you care about. This was her daughter; she couldn’t, she wouldn’t keep something like this from her.

The question remained, though: How and when?

“I just don’t want her to freak out,” Kara moaned one day, slumping back on the couch as Lena busied herself in the kitchen.

“You really think she will?” The dark-haired woman asked without looking away from the stove. This wasn’t a new conversation.

Kara puffed up her cheeks and blew out a breath. “Maybe?” She tried but didn’t even buy it herself. 

“She’s an intelligent girl,” Lena commented. She tilted her chin past her shoulder to look at the blonde woman. “And considering all the other ‘extraordinary’ things in her life she has no problem dealing with, would this be any worse?”

“But this is me, Lee.” Kara let her own head flop to the side to catch her wife’s eyes. “This is different.”

Lena sighed and nodded. She turned off the stove and stepped around the kitchen island. “What are you afraid of?” She asked.

Kara’s eyes floated back to the ceiling. “That she’s going to hate me. That she’s going to hate us.”

“Why?”

“For keeping this from her. For not trusting her with it.”

“She’s a toddler. There’s a reason we haven’t told her.”

“Yeah, but…” The blonde sighed, deeply. She laced her fingers together, squeezing them nervously. “What if she sees me, figures out where half her DNA comes from, and… Wonders why she isn’t special?”

“Do you think she isn’t special?”

“No!” Kara immediately objected before flopping back down to the cushions. “Jonathan showed powers so early. She hasn’t shown any.”

“There are a lot of reasons for that,” Lena said, stepping closer. “Remember how we weren’t going to go around comparing ourselves to Lois and Clark?”

“Yeah.” Kara let herself slide further down the seat, until her back was nearly parallel with the floor. She stared up at the ceiling, as if all the reasons were written there. Really, though, it was all a smokescreen, every excuse, hiding the one that she didn’t want to face, because she didn’t have an answer for it. “I just hate the idea of her having to carry this.”

Lena stepped closer. This was a new addition to the practiced dialogue. “What do you mean?”

“The world loves Superwoman,” Kara replied. “She’s a hero. She’s her hero.”

“Among many,” her wife pointed out.

The blonde nodded. “If you found out your parent was the city’s greatest hero, and then found out you couldn’t tell anyone, how would that make you feel?”

She looked back up to find her wife’s face staring down at her as the brunette leaned over her, elbows resting on the back of the couch. 

“She is so small, Lee,” the Kryptonian breathed. “And this secret is so heavy.”

“It’s something to consider,” Lena admitted, stroking a finger through her wife’s golden locks. “A reason to think about how we tell her but not enough to stop us from telling her at all.” She bent low to place a kiss on her wife’s furrowed brow. “If you found out two of the people you loved most in the world were the same person, how would that make you feel?”

Kara let herself smile. “I’d probably wonder why Jeju can’t fly me everywhere?”

Lena chuckled dryly. “But we already know the answer to that question, don’t we?” She added with a serious tone.

“Because Mommy said ‘no’.”

“That’s right.” And the dark-haired woman bent low again to plant a kiss on her wife’s lips.

This was how the conversation had gone for some time. The subject would be set aside for a while. Other considerations became more important. There was always the issue of timing. 

Do it now or later. Closer to her birthday, a holiday, or would that just ruin it? Pick a perfectly normal day to reveal this and wonder if it’ll soften the blow or diminish the importance. Pick the best day you can and fear that you’ll never be able to celebrate it without thinking of this ever again.

Fate, per usual, though, had long since been working to take the issue quite out of the their hands.

Lena was working at the office, El happily playing on the couch. This had become a habit of theirs. Pre-school was great. There had been consideration as to what do when the half-day was up. The subject of a nanny was entertained early on but quickly dismissed. In truth, both women had grown far too fond of motherhood to be comfortable apart from their bundle of joy for any extended period of time and took turns entertaining the child at one or the other of their offices in the afternoons. The once spartan, if stylishly modern interior of the L-Corp CEO’s office had undergone quite the transformation, now something of an experiment in dichotomy. At first glance, ever the picture of clean lines and corporate strength, accented, here and there, on closer inspection, with various stuff animals and educational toys.

The dark-haired woman glanced over her computer screen and smiled when she caught sight of the dark-haired girl bouncing happily on a cushion, singing some made-up song to herself. Non-traditional, certainly, but she wouldn’t trade the work arrangement for the world. She went back to her emails, just catching out of the corner of her eye as the girl rolled to her feet and climbed the back of the sofa.

“Mommy look!” The girl suddenly cried.

Lena’s head popped up in that instinctive, maternal way, coiled and ready to leap to the rescue in case those words preceded some ill-advised stunt. Instead, she saw the three-year-old pointing excitedly to the TV hanging on the wall. Lena often left it on to the CatCo feed. It was nice ambience, and there was the occasional story about a certain, local superhero that El always enjoyed. This seemed to be the current case as the woman caught a splash of red and blue in her peripheral vision.

“What’s that baby?” She asked.

“Jeju’s on TV,” the child replied.

Lena turned fully now to the screen. Kara had certainly made a name for herself in CatCo, so it wasn’t uncommon that she appeared, though it was still rare. The blonde spent enough time in front of the camera, without her glasses; she had never been too eager to be in front of them with her glasses on.

“Is that so?” Lena asked as she rose from behind her desk to stand behind her daughter. 

The girl nodded excitedly and pointed in that haphazard way small children do, all elbows and fingers. Lena stared at the screen but didn’t see her wife. She wondered if the little girl had mistaken a shock of blonde hair for her Jeju. El often associated CatCo, or “KitCo” as the toddler liked to call it, with Kara in a broad strokes way. Kara wasn’t head editor, though she was working her way up, yet El still liked to ask every CatCo employee she met what it was like working FOR her Jeju.

But the TV currently held no blonde, bespectacled, senior reporter. Lena wondered, for all of a half-second what El was thinking, until it suddenly hit her, more powerful than a locomotive, that she could see Kara. She was standing right there. In blue and red but without her glasses.

The dark-haired woman’s eyes shot to the little girl, her own eyes fixed fervently on the TV. _It couldn’t be_ , she thought. It had to be coincidence. Like she had first thought, maybe El just saw blonde hair and assumed. But maybe that wasn’t it. Maybe that wasn’t it at all. Maybe their little problem had long since solved itself. After all, that girl was so so smart.

So was her mother, and, like the good scientist she was, Lena Luthor knew this needed testing. “I don’t see her, baby,” she replied evenly, swiveling eyes between the screen and the girl.

El pointed again, more animatedly this time. “There!” She shouted. “Right there!” And there was no mistaking where that little, tiny finger was pointing.

Lena nearly had to laugh. Of course. Of course this was it, the solution. Here they had been so worried about how to let this information go. Never once did they consider that their little genius had already figured it out. They had been keeping a secret the child was too young to realize was even a secret at all.

The dark-haired woman slid down to the couch, running a hand up her daughter’s back. “I see her, baby,” she cooed. “Jeju looks pretty, doesn’t she?”

El looked back at her Mom and nodded happily. They watched Superwoman give her interview, all smiles and toned arms. There would be more conversations, important ones. There would be missteps and close calls, but the seal had been broken, the one they were afraid might explode on them. So, for now, mother held daughter and then watched Jeju be the hero they both knew she was, cape or not.

Later, Lena texted her wife.

_Saw you on TV_. 

_Remember that little “problem” we were talking about?_

_I don’t think it’s going to be that big of a deal._


	24. How El Saved Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's that magical time of year. The Holidays. It also happens to be the first holiday after El acquired her powers, and if you thought she wasn't going to end up using them to save the day... Oh, come on, you know she was going to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, I came up with this idea at the beginning of this year and have just been waiting to premier it at a more appropriate time.  
> Happy holidays, everyone. Enjoy!

The holidays.

That magical season, which happens to be equal parts happy and stress-inducing, punctuated by moments of truly heartwarming joy and instances where you might have to duck a haphazardly-aimed elbow thrown by a crazed shopper. Indeed, the most wonderful time of the year.

This promised to be an extra special holiday for El Danvers-Luthor. In a rare occurrence, every single member of her extended family, which included a fair number of hangers-on, related and otherwise, was going to be in town. Her mothers were putting together a fairly involved party, since their penthouse had been designated holiday central. And it just happened to be the first holiday since the teen had developed superpowers thanks to an unexpected run-in with a Kryptonian war machine.

Long story.

Needless to say, El was looking forward to the time off, not for the least reason that one of the many people expected in town was her cousin, Astrid, who she had not seen since last summer, (i.e. pre-superpowers.) The Danvers grandchildren had been quite the pair since their youth, much to the pleasure, (and occasional chagrin), of their respective parents, and El was eager to catch up with her long-separated bestie.

The city, too, seemed to hold a mystical anticipation. It was as cold as it tended to get in National City. An incoming front held the tantalizing promise of snow, and there was the crisp chill in the air that just screamed holiday, even if you didn’t want to be out in it for too long at a time. Not that that was an issue for the girl. When you’re literally solar-powered, things like cold weather tend to not be such a burden. Thank you, alien genetics.

El took a deep breath of the nippy air and sighed it out with glee. There were certain things she could definitely trace to one or the other of her mothers. Her hair color and the majority of her looks she got from Mom, but her over-the-top, nearly sickly sweet love of all things holiday most certainly came from Jeju. Her preference for dark-colored clothing belied the fact that the girl was a hopping, cheer-filled elf when it came to Christmas/Hanukah/New Year’s/you-name-it. The pair of her and Jeju had been a positive, peppermint-flavored terror to family for years with insistent carol sings, intricate Secret Santa rituals, and oh so many cookies. While Mom often played the straight man to their tinsel-covered shenanigans, secretly they all knew she wouldn’t trade her crazed, Hallmark-Channel-Original-Movie, all-the-Whos-down-in-Whoville wife and daughter for anything.

Thus it was with, literal, bells on that the girl stepped off the elevator to the top floor of L-Corp global headquarters. The waiting area to the CEO’s office had been decorated for the season in an art deco design with whites and grays and a plastic tree of shining, glittery branches. A little less green than one might desire but nonetheless festive.

“Happy holidays, Hope!” El said as she turned to the assistant’s desk, itself draped in silver foil garlands.

“Happy holidays, El,” her mother’s assistant replied with a warm smile.

“I come bearing gifts,” the teen said, proffering a perfectly wrapped stack of chocolate chip goodness.

“Thank you,” Hope replied with a bit of a chuckle. “Why those look just as good as the dozen or so Kara sent over earlier.” She indicated a box on the edge of her desk, just as expertly ribboned, with all the hallmarks of Kara Danvers.

El eyed it for a moment before turning back to the woman. “You act like there’s such a thing as too many cookies.”

Hope nodded. “You’re right. How silly of me. Thank you so much,” she replied as she took the bundle. She pointed to the door. “Your Mom’s not busy. Go right on in.”

“Thanks, Hope,” the girl said, taking a step towards the door. She paused and glanced at the clock above the desk. “You’re still here,” she said with a suspicious raise of her eyebrow.

“I’m aware of that,” replied the assistant, with a corresponding brow lift.

“You know if you’re here on a holiday past ten in the morning, Mom will physically throw you out.”

“You can tell your mother, I am finishing up an email and will be gone in 15 minutes,” Hope replied with a grin.

El gave her a knowing salute and stepped through the door. The CEO’s office space was a little less decorated than her waiting room, only a small Christmas tree in one corner and an artsy pile of ornaments on the coffee table. It wasn’t that the dark-haired woman currently sitting behind the desk was any less entranced by the spirit of the season, but business rarely takes a holiday, and presentation is everything.

“Hello, sweetie,” Lena Luthor called as her daughter stepped into the room.

“Hi, Mom,” El replied.

The woman gave her a quick glance before returning to her computer. Then she did a double-take. Her face soured. “Please tell me you were not wearing that outside.”

El froze in her step. Her jaw dropped. She raised an offended hand to cradle her red and white Santa hat with the bell-lined poof ball on the end. She gasped. “It is the holidays!”

Lena groaned and shook her head. “You own a closet full of black shirts, and you walk around the streets of National City wearing that hat.”

El feigned offense for another minute as she walked around the desk and draped herself over her mother’s shoulders from behind. “Well, bah humbug.”

“El,” Mom chided. “You know I don’t like Scrooge jokes.”

“Says the woman working on Christmas Eve.”

“It’s Christmas Eve morning,” Lena replied. “If it was Christmas Eve evening that would be a different matter.” The woman typed on her computer, her teenager’s chin propped on top of her head. She stopped abruptly. “Is Hope still here?” she asked worriedly.

“She’s finishing up an email,” the girl replied. “She says she’s gone in 15.”

“Good,” Lena sighed with relief. She continued typing. “Have any plans this morning?" she asked. El's chin drifted down to rest on the woman's shoulder. "Besides this?"

"I was going to drop by CatCo for a bit, then head back to the house before the party."

"Sounds good," Mom replied. "By the way, the catering is coming at 3, and, like presents on Christmas," the woman tapped a finger against the girl's cheek, "No opening it early."

El huffed a laugh. "I won't. Promise. I still can't believe you ordered catering for a family event."

"Your Grandma Eliza is not getting any younger, and I'm certainly not going to be doing all that cooking, especially since we have two of you now with super-powered metabolisms, not counting your cousin and uncle. Thus, catering."

El nodded. She could see the logic. Still. "The latkes won't be the same."

"Your Grandma promised she would make latkes in the morning."

El smiled. "You did order extra food for tonight, right?"

"Rest assured, there will be plenty. Though I'm sure you and your Jeju will test that," Mom said with a knowing smile. “Do you think you could hold off on any eating contests with Jonathan? There will be other people at this party.”

El scoffed.

Mom patted her elbow lovingly. "You excited to have Astrid back in town?"

El wrapped her arms tighter around Mom with glee. "Yeah. We're gonna tear it up."

The dark-haired woman's head moved a fraction of an inch in her daughter's direction.

"Responsibly," the girl quickly added.

"Mm-hmm," her mother hummed suspiciously. “You've been doing really well with your powers."

"Thank you."

"So I hope you're not tempted to show off when your cousins are here."

El bit her lip. Mom didn't even have to look at her. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good," Lena said and planted a kiss on the girl's cheek. "You're welcome to hang out here, if you want. I'll be headed home by lunch."

"I think I'll pop over to Jeju's office."

"Okay."

The girl disentangled herself from her mother and stepped around the desk. She stepped back immediately and threw her arms around the woman again.

"Happy holidays, Mom."

"Happy holidays, baby," Lena replied with a squeeze of her own.

While holding her mother in a tight embrace, El reached up, grabbed the hat off her own head, and quickly, and securely, shoved it on her Mom's, right before scurrying out the door. All she heard was the jingling of bells as Lena shook her head at the retreating figure of her daughter.

* * *

If L-Corp was the picture of understated holiday decor, CatCo was let's-see-if-we-can't-cover-every-single-square-inch-of-this-place-in-decorations. None more than the top floor, where the famous Cat statue was sporting a Santa hat and a miniature jolly fat man riding it. There were Christmas trees of various sizes spread out on the floor, numerous menorahs, and even a kinara or two to make sure no celebration was missed.

El stepped off the private elevator for the Editor-in-chief and made a quick glance around. Thankfully, the Editor's personal assistant, Chloe, was seated calmly at her desk. The teen padded softly over, making a wide arc to get in visual range, so as not to startle the woman.

"Oh, El!" Chloe said. "I mean, Ms. Danvers-Luthor! So nice to see you. Happy Holidays!"

"Happy holidays, Chloe," the girl responded. "And I told you, call me El."

The woman nodded. "Of course, Ms- I mean El. Can I get you something? Cocoa? We have great cocoa. I just made a pot." The assistant was halfway to standing up, revealing the very chintzy sweater she was wearing with embroidered poinsettias all over it.

"That's okay," El replied quickly. "I'm just popping in. I actually wanted to give these to you."

El held out a stack of cookies wrapped in plastic and ribbon. The woman took it carefully with a worried look on her face.

"They're holiday cookies," the teen added in soft, even tones. "They're not condolence cookies or sorry-to-see-you-go cookies. They're just cookies. Please enjoy them."

Chloe sighed with notable relief. "Thank you. I will." She set them aside and turned politely back towards the girl. "Are you here to see your mom?"

El nodded. Chloe hit the speaker button on her phone.

"Ms. Danvers?" she said. "Your daughter is here to see you."

El looked to the glass-encased office of Kara Danvers and caught eyes with the woman herself, clearly sitting behind her desk, in full view of her assistant's desk and her daughter.

"Thank you, Chloe," Jeju replied calmly. "Please send her in."

Chloe motioned El towards the door. The somewhat high-strung woman was El's mother's current assistant. The current Editor-in-chief of CatCo Magazine had a history of moving through PA's rather rapidly, but only because the woman could not help but promote them in an effort to encourage their potential. Her latest assistant had, unfortunately, not been informed of this and had, instead, come to the conclusion when she was first hired that Kara would let her go if she so much as slipped up once. Despite Ms. Danvers' continued reassurances, the woman was still a little prone-to-panic as regards her employment status.

"Happy holidays, Jeju!" El called, throwing her arms wide as the office door closed behind her.

"Happy holidays!" Kara replied standing up to reveal her own gaudy cardigan, complete with a light-up team of reindeer swooping through the night sky.

"I see the Annual Ugly Sweater Christmas Party was a hit once again," El commented. She motioned to the puffy Rudolph, nose so bright. "Did you win?"

Jeju's arms dropped. "No," she said disappointedly. "Montez in IT did. I can't fault him, though. He knitted an entire sweater jumpsuit to look like the pink bunny outfit from 'A Christmas Story'."

"Wow."

"Yeah, I was defeated before I even started."

"There's always next year." El plopped down on the chair in front of Kara's desk. She leaned forward conspiratorially. "I see Chloe seems to have calmed down."

Kara shot a quick glance in the assistant's direction, looking away before Chloe could look up. "Yeah, we've been working on clear communication. Speaking of which, I need your help." She motioned the teen around her desk to look at her computer screen. "I haven't figured out what gift to get her."

"What?" El nearly yelled. "How have you waited this long?"

"I can't think of anything appropriate," Jeju replied defensively. "I'm afraid whatever I give her is going to be construed as some going away present."

"Why not just try a gift card?"

The blonde woman fixed her daughter with a very serious stare. "We can do better than a gift card." She motioned to the screen. "I was thinking one of those at-your-desk foot massagers. You know, as a way of saying, 'You work so hard. Take a load off.'"

El grimaced.

"What?" Jeju asked.

"She could also take it as some passive-aggressive way of you telling her she's spending too much time at her desk."

"Damn," Kara said and thumped the keyboard. "I'm open to suggestions then."

"I'd go full spa package," El offered. "Massage, facial, the works. It's either that or pay for a therapist."

"Little one," Jeju said. "Once again, you show how much of a genius you are."

"I learned from the best."

"Indeed you did," Kara commented. "I saw you playing cookie elf."

"Well, if my mothers' assistants don't know I love them, they'll cut me off from all the free stickie notes."

"That reminds me," Jeju said. "I need to let Chloe go early." The woman rose from her desk then froze. "And by 'let go' I mean let off early for-"

"Yeah, **_I_** know what it means, Jeju," El replied with a facepalm.

"Sorry, this one's just really challenging."

"Why don't you promote her and save you both the misery?"

"You don't think I've been looking?!" Jeju scream-whispered as she crossed the office. "There are no openings in any department."

"Damn you, employee retention," El teased with her fist in the air.

Jeju rolled her eyes and opened the door. Chloe sat bolt straight immediately.

"Yes, Ms. Danvers," she said. "Was there something I could do for you?"

"No, Chloe," Kara said. "I actually wanted to let you know you could leave early for the day. By which I mean, please go home and enjoy your holiday and then feel free to come back to work because you still have a job."

The assistant nodded along with the thorough explanation. "Yes, Ms. Danvers, I understand. Is there anything else you'll need?"

"No, Chloe. Thank you. Enjoy your holiday."

"You as well, Ms. Danvers."

Jeju stepped back into her office with a heavy sigh. She sat back down at her desk. El watched her pretend to work, one eye on the front door, until Chloe finally packed up and left with a last wave at the girl. Jeju sighed again.

"I really appreciate her tenacity," Kara said. "But she makes it kind of hard with my 'other' job."

"Unseen exits kind of difficult with someone on your heels all the time?" El asked.

"You have no idea."

"Well, you know what they say," the girl added, motioning to the surroundings. "Those in glass offices probably shouldn't make quick costume changes."

"You know, it's times like these I am so glad you inherited your Mom's wit," Jeju added with another eyeroll. The blonde woman cast a quick eye through the glass walls of her office to observe that the vast majority of the floor was also gone. "If you don't mind seeing yourself out, little one, I think I will get going."

"You wouldn't be headed into something that might require super-powered assistance, would you?" El asked with barely concealed eagerness.

"No," her Jeju replied. "But nice try."

"I'm just saying," the girl offered. "I'm here if you need me."

"I appreciate that," said Kara with a smile. "But I'm just making my annual visit to the Children's Hospital."

"Right, Super Santa. I'm sure the kids will be thrilled." El shrugged. "I guess I'll head home then."

"If you see your Mom, tell her I might be a little late to the party," said Jeju. "I'm going to make a quick sweep of the city before the storm moves in."

"Jeju," El said seriously. "It's Christmas Eve. Don't jinx it."

"I swear. I'll be there," the woman laughed.

"You better," the teen chided. "Astrid's plane doesn't land for 2 hours. I'm not okay with people cutting it so close."

"It's going to be a beautiful holiday with all of our loved ones," Jeju said as she cradled El's face in her hands. She planted a kiss on the girl's forehead. "Count on it." She smiled and moved towards her office balcony. "See you at home?"

El nodded. Jeju smiled again before removing her glasses. The suit materialized over her as she stepped onto the balcony. Superwoman gave a wave and leapt into the sky. El watched her Jeju go with a smile of her own.

"Soon," she told herself.

* * *

El returned to the penthouse and was immediately greeted by the unmistakable smell of baking. The girl happily shed her coat and pranced into the kitchen to find her Grandma Eliza, apron on, pulling a pan of cookies out of the oven.

"Perfect timing," the woman said as she caught sight of her granddaughter.

"I thought you weren't cooking this year," El commented, pointing at the tray. "We got catering for the party."

"Yes," Eliza replied. "Your mother called to say it's coming at 3. She also wanted me to make sure nobody got into the food before the party started." She leveled a spatula at the teen, who tried to look like the idea had never crossed her mind. "Now, considering I raised one Kryptonian child, I know from experience that is an interminable amount of time to go without a snack, even for a half-Kryptonian, so I thought you could use something to tide you over."

El could not contain her joy and immediately grabbed a snowflake-shaped cookie off the tray and bit into it, heedless of the fact that it had just come out of the oven. "You're the best grandma ever," she said through a mouthful of cookie while she planted a kiss on the woman's cheek.

"You know, I have icing," Eliza replied.

El glanced at the cookie in her hand and the ones on the tray. "Yeah, we should probably ice these."

The pair whiled the next couple of hours away baking and icing several batches of cookies, only roughly half of which El ended up eating. The girl caught her Grandma up on all things school and life and, especially, her newly acquired abilities.

"So, strength, heat vision, all seem to be the same as Superwoman?" Eliza asked.

El nodded as she munched on a Christmas tree cookie. "As far as we can tell. Although, I might just be a little bit faster than Jeju. Not that we've gone head-to-head in a race or anything." The girl laughed. "Despite how many times I ask."

"Kryptonian genetics has always been a bit of an enigma," Eliza commented. "There's definite qualities to it, but it seems to operate just as much by will as anything else."

"That's why Alex and I think they didn't show up until the Eradicator," El added. "It wasn't just that I was in danger. It's when Mom and Jeju were in danger that it kicked in."

Eliza nodded at this. “I imagine it hasn’t been easy holding all that in check, now that you have them.”

El simply groaned in reply.

“You’re like your Jeju that way,” her grandma replied with a loving hand to her shoulder.

“Really?” El said through cookie crumbs.

Eliza nodded. “She was probably a little worse, now that I think about it. We really couldn’t keep that girl down, and I mean that literally.”

El couldn’t help but laugh. They heard the front door open a moment later. The teen looked up, half-expecting her Mom, in a very unexpected move actually leaving the office early, instead she saw her aunts. The young woman leapt up from her chair, nearly hovering in exuberance, anticipating a third, much cherished individual trailing after them. Only no one. Just Kelly with a weak smile and Alex with a worried look, phone to her ear. El glanced hurriedly, confusedly between them.

“Well, you two are here early,” Eliza commented, rising to hug her daughter-in-law. “I thought you’d be at the airport.”

“Hey, Mama Eliza,” Kelly commented with a sigh that El caught. “Astrid’s not coming.”

“WHAT?” her niece couldn’t help but shout.

“She’s stuck in Vegas,” the Black woman went on with a shrug. “It’s the storm. It grounded everything east of us.”

El, jaw on the floor, looked back in horror, searching, she knew futilely, for someone, the universe, to fix this, finally turning to Alex as the one, she knew, would if at all possible.

“Are you sure?” the redhead spoke into the phone. “We can get you a room. It’s not a problem. I-“ She sighed as the voice on the other end interjected. “I’m your Mom. I’m allowed to be overbearing. We’ve been over this,” she said with a dry laugh. Her face drooped. “I know you can take of yourself. I just…” She sighed again. “I know. Just get some rest, okay? You’ve got an early flight. Love you, too. Bye.” She hung up the phone and tossed it on the counter, hands shooting to her hips in a textbook Alex Danvers look of frustration bordering on fury. Kelly stepped to her wife and ran a hand across her shoulder blades. The woman calmed and turned to them. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hey, sweetie, come here,” the older woman offered and took her daughter into a tight embrace.

“USO’s offered to put her up for that night,” Alex said, finally letting her mother go after a very long, and clearly much needed hug.

“Well, there’s that at least,” Kelly commented. Eventually, eyes turned to El, still standing aghast at current events.

“Astrid’s got the first flight out,” Alex replied to her niece’s look.

El continued to gape. Hands raising in protest.

Alex sighed knowingly. “Kiddo-“

Finally, the teen landed on the solution. “What about Jeju?” she said. “Yeah, she can go get her!” Her excitement grew until her eyes hit her aunt’s again and she saw no reflection of exuberance in them.

“Kara’s doing Super Santa,” she replied with quiet reservation.

“She would drop that to go get Astrid,” El argued. “You know she would.”

“That’s exactly why I’m not asking her,” came the immediate answer. “Kara loves Super Santa, and so do the kids. I’m not going to ask her to sacrifice that.”

El stammered in reply, knowing the logic was obvious, and none the more eager to picture the disappointed faces of some very deserving children. She looked around again for the answer, desperate. She thought she saw an end to grab onto. “Clark! Or Jonathan! They’re in town.”

Alex shook her head. “Already thought of that. There’s a lot of aircraft dealing with the storm front. They’re helping them get landed.” And before her niece could interject how, surely, two Kryptonians could find the time for a single passenger pickup, she added, “By the time they’re done, it’ll be too dangerous for anyone to be out there.”

El’s jaw snapped shut with a disappointed click. Still, she stamped her foot, defeated but not yet willing to admit it. “We can’t just leave her there!” she objected. “What about the party? What about family togetherness? What about…” She searched again for an objection worthy, finally landing on her grandmother. “What about latkes?”

“El,” Eliza cut in with a tone that held decades and cut the girl off without another word. She motioned towards the other two women, and the teen understood. Who would be more upset about this situation? Astrid’s best friend? Or Astrid’s parents?

El sagged. “I’m sorry.” She stepped forward to hug both of her aunts. “I know you’re both disappointed.”

Kelly nodded. “It’s just a day, though. She’ll be here by lunch tomorrow.” She glanced at Alex. Clearly this was a conversation they’d had with each other before even getting here.

The redhead nodded. “We can delay gifts in the morning. At least she won’t miss that.” There was resolution in her voice, and an edge too. El knew she wasn’t alone in her frustration.

“Well, it’s not much, but we do have cookies,” Eliza offered with a smile.

Kelly laughed. “Honestly, I think we could both use a drink,” she replied with another glance at her wife.

Eliza nodded. “There’s nog in the fridge. I don’t think our hosts would mind if you helped yourself before the party.”

El watched her aunts step gingerly towards the kitchen, arms around one another in comfort. She slumped back to her chair. Eliza rubbed her shoulder soothingly.

“It’s not fair,” the teen sighed.

"El, no one's happy about it,” her grandmother wisely pointed out. “But it happens, and it's only a day."

"I know. It's just...” El had to sigh again. It was funny how you could hang so much on a little thing like a party. Of course, it wasn’t really about that. “This is the first year in a long time that everyone is here, and with life and everything, you know.” She motioned to the room, the world, her world, so spread out, so complicated, growing more so by the day. “Especially with Astrid at West Point, it's only going to get harder. I just thought...” She thumped the table gently, finally landing on the real frustration. “The one year I actually have powers, and I feel like I can't do anything with them."

"Your Jeju had that feeling more than once when she was your age."

"Yeah?"

"She did. You must know I wasn't exactly enthusiastic about her taking the superhero route."

El nodded. She remembered the stories. "Yeah, Alex mentioned a very awkward Thanksgiving after Supergirl premiered."

"Trust me, it wasn't the first awkward conversation about it.” Eliza said, then laughed. “Or the last. It was usually Kara, though, fighting me on it. She wanted so bad to make the world better. I told her, year after year, that even if she could, the most impact she'd have would always be in the small ways. You must realize that the best thing Superwoman ever did for the world was be kind to it."

"I know,” El admitted, and she did. If there was ever a season, a time of year to be reminded of that, it was certainly this one. She could picture her Jeju, right now, making an entire ward of sick kids feel like they were the luckiest people on the planet. That, certainly, was worth it.

"You'll find your place, baby girl. Just look for the little things. You do them so well already."

El nodded. Little ways. They were sometimes all you got. The hardest thing for a superhero was to realize they couldn't be everywhere at once, couldn't solve every problem there was. You change the things you can. Superwoman was just one person.

But El was another, and that gave the young woman an idea.

"I have to go," she said suddenly, standing as she did.

"What?" Her grandma replied. It was loud enough to grab her aunts' attention. Both turned from their place by the kitchen island

"Go where, El?" Kelly asked.

"I just remembered," the young woman floundered for a moment before catching the edge of a plausible alibi. "I have another errand to run."

"Can't it wait?” Alex said with concern. “The party's in a couple of hours."

"I know, but I just have to do this. It'll be real quick. I promise, I'll be back in time for the party." And with that, she rushed to the door, grabbing her coat and avoiding eye contact lest she give up the ghost. She was in the hallway before another objection. Her phone was out as she got to the elevator.

"Before you say a word," Lena replied the moment the line connected. "I am already on my way out."

El didn't believe that for a second, fully picturing her mother seated at her desk, typing out an email even now, coat and bag nowhere near her.

"I'm not calling about that," El brushed past it. "I need your permission."

"Permission for what?"

"To use my powers," she said after a deep breath.

There was a beat of silence on the other end. "Are you okay?" Lena whispered with worry. "What's going on? If you're in danger, hit your bracelet."

"No, no, Mom, I'm fine," El interjected quickly. "There's no danger. I just need your permission to use my powers."

"For what?" her mother asked with obvious confusion.

El gulped. "I can't tell you."

More silence. "El," Mom's voice came through, solid and serious. "I have to believe that you are smart enough to know I'm not going to say 'yes' without an explanation."

She was. She knew. But still. "It's a surprise."

"A surprise?"

"Yes."

"For whom?"

"I can't tell you that, either."

Much more silence, full of maternal consternation. "Well, with an argument like that, how can I refuse?"

El knew better than to rise to that bait. "It's important, okay?"

"If it was important, you could tell me why."

"But that would ruin the surprise!"

"El Mayarah Danvers-Luthor-"

"Haven't I been good?" the teen said, interrupting the mom-disapproval train before it could build up steam. "Months with powers and not so much as an accidental hover outside of the penthouse, except for that one time."

"I'm still not convinced that was an accident."

"You know I wouldn't do anything stupid or dangerous that might get someone hurt or reveal my identity. You know I wouldn't."

She took the silence on the other end as confirmation.

"And you know I wouldn't even bother asking if it wasn't very important."

Yet more silence. Then a sigh. The woman was teetering, she could tell. Time to bring it home.

"And if I wanted to be emotionally manipulative, I could very much point out that, if I had wanted to, I could have asked Jeju, which would probably have taken less effort but would have felt like a betrayal, but instead I'm coming to you, knowing full well how hard it would be, but, you know, not that I'm pointing that out or anything."

There was the sigh, deeper this time. Not one Lena was used to using. In fact, it really only showed up with El and, of course, Kara. Defeat.

"It's a good thing we pulled you out of debate."

"I was kicked out of debate." El hopped up and down as the elevator finally dinged.

"One condition," Mom replied, doubtless, sensing the girl's exuberance. "If I find out this is for anything frivolous or dangerous, even in the slightest degree."

El gulped, at the tone more than anything, and stopped hopping.

"One month, young lady," Lena continued, serious as the storm even now rolling in. "No powers and no training. I mean it."

"Yes, ma'am," El replied, reserved, for the moment, but she punched the air quietly.

"And you better not be late for the party."

"I'll be there with bells on."

"Just be there," Mom replied, less bossy, more motherly. "And be safe, please."

"I will. I promise. Thank you, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Oh, and since you brought it up," El said, smile now fully vested on her face. "WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING IN YOUR OFFICE?!"

"Oh, you're hilarious," Mom added before the line dropped.

El punched the air again as the elevator began to move. Quickly, she pulled up a map on her phone, memorizing what landmarks she could before dialing a familiar number.

“Hey, girl,” a beloved, if disappointed sounding, voice answered. “I take it you’ve heard.”

“Yeah,” El was swift to reply. “Where are you?”

“About to pick up my luggage,” Astrid answered. “You know, Vegas isn’t the worst place to be stuck. I’m thinking I could hit the buffet at the Sahara for dinner. Those people have no idea what a West Point cadet can put away.”

“Oh, you’re not going to need to worry about dinner,” El replied, smile in her voice. “I’ve got a better idea.”

“Really?”

“Be on the top of the main airport parking structure in 20 minutes.”

Astrid had known her cousin her entire life. In that time, they’d gotten up to quite some shenanigans. Still, she had to ask, “What?”

“Just trust me,” El replied. “20 minutes.”

Somewhere, in the cadet’s mind, she could put two and two together. That didn’t mean she liked what they added up to. “El…”

“Just trust me,” the teen insisted. “Cousin code!”

There was a pause, then an out breath, and finally, “Why do I get the feeling I’m not dressed warm enough?”

El laughed. “This is going to be the best holiday ever. I promise.” With a quick goodbye, she hung up just as the elevator landed on the ground floor. She swept out of the lobby, with only a swift greeting to the doorman, before turning quickly into the alley behind the building. The teen checked behind her to see the street was clear. Then, with a grin as wide as could be, her eyes turned to the sky. “Up, up, and away.”

* * *

The party was nearly in full attendance by the time the, apparent, hosts managed to get back, Lena and Kara arriving within minutes of each other, by door and balcony respectively. With a quick change for the both of them, they were soon embraced in the warmth of friends and family, food ready and drink in hand.

It really was impressive they’d managed to get so many. From J’onn to M’gann, Brainy and Nia, James and the other Metropolis-ites, and the Danvers-Luthor-Olson group, it was quite the attendance. The missing member, of course, was the natural subject of conversation.

“Alex, I’m-“ Kara started before her sister immediately silenced her.

“Cute kids,” Alex replied, and the blonde could only nod. Some things you just can’t do, even as a Super.

That fact reminded her of who else might be equally as upset. It was then she discovered the other missing member of the party.

“Where’s El?” Kara asked after a quick scan of the room.

“Oh, she had to run off,” Alex responded. “Some errand or something.”

That brought the attention of El’s other mother. Lena turned to the Danvers sisters with a look of confusion. “An errand?” she asked.

Alex nodded. “I assume it was cookie-related.”

But Lena looked less convinced.

“Lee?” Kara asked. “What’s wrong?”

The dark-haired woman’s mouth went fishy for a moment. “El, called me,” she said, haltingly. “She wanted permission.”

“Permission for what?” her wife asked.

“To use her powers.”

Both Danvers looked surprised at that. Even more when the woman added.

“I said yes.”

“You said yes?!” Kara replied. The room was quickly drawing its attention towards this.

“She said it was… important,” was Lena’s excuse, though it was clear the CEO was starting to seriously doubt herself.

“Did she say why?” Alex asked.

And now Lena was very much doubting herself now. “She said it was a surprise.” Her hand found her face almost immediately.

Before too many could wonder at what had happened or what the missing teen had gotten herself into, or what to do about it, the doorbell rang. All eyes darted to the front door, then quickly to each other. Everyone expected was already there, except for the newly discovered missing person. Who would ring the door?

Both Lena and Kara stepped to the door. They opened it to find their daughter, looking very much as she had when she left the apartment but with the addition of a pair of light-up antlers and a glowing red nose pinned over her own.

The entire party stared at the teen, who looked back like, whatever this was, it was totally normal.

"Please tell me the errand you had to run wasn't for that?" Alex said after taking one look after her.

"No," El replied with a shake of her head, setting off a chorus of jingle bells. She indicated the decoration. "But it did take me a bit to find this."

"Young lady," Mom asked, past exasperated at this point, past disappointed, into some new level of completely-beside-herself. "Do I even want to know why?"

"It was thematically appropriate," the young lady replied as she tapped the nose for emphasis.

The whole room gave her a look of quiet confusion. She just smiled.

"How often do you get to save Christmas?" she said before reaching to her left, past the doorframe, to pull over the answer to all of their questions, the real reason for her afternoon escapade.

The room's quiet confusion turned to stunned silence as they took in the image of the person standing there, quite unexpectedly, cadet grays on with that distinctive curly-curly hair wrestled into a severe bun and tucked under an equally flamboyant, pseudo-Santa hat, this one of blue and white, menorahs stitched into the brim, and a dreidel hanging off the pompom. It was Kelly who finally named her.

"Astrid!" she screamed in surprise, and the whole company finally broke at the sight in joy and elation, forgetting explanation for that moment, only mobbing the two girls immediately with hugs and bringing them inside.

“I assume this is the surprise you were talking about?” Mom asked after a minute, her arm around her daughter, not a little incredulous at the whole thing.

“I told you it was important,” El replied, still beaming with pride.

“Kiddo,” Alex had to say with a shake of her head, her own hand not leaving Astrid’s side.

“Hey, no one else could do it,” the teen fired back. She leveled a finger at the redhead. “And you wouldn’t have asked. Mostly because you know Mom would kill you.”

The redhead could not object to that logic. The party soon found itself back in swing, even more excited by this, admittedly, monumental and seasonally appropriate surprise. El clapped her hands when she caught sight of the food, and, despite earlier promises, she could not help but give a subtle nod to her cousin, Jonathan, as she helped herself to an entire plate of cookies and began looking for what else she could pile on top of it.

“You want to change?” Alex asked her daughter as she grabbed her bag to put in a side room.

“Nah,” the cadet replied with a hand to her jacket. “I look good.”

“That you do, baby,” her Mama Kelly said with a kiss to the girl’s temple. The woman pulled back quickly. “Gosh, Astrid, you’re freezing.”

“Yeah,” the young woman replied with a shiver. “It’s a little cold up in the stratosphere.”

And that fact might have gone unnoticed. El, in retrospect, might have wanted it to. Nevertheless, it quickly settled in her aunt’s brain.

"Hold on. Hold on," Kelly finally said. The room turned to the Black woman, in thought for a moment, before she spun slowly to her niece. "El, did you fly cross-country, in a blizzard, with a passenger?"

The tone and implications were unmistakable, and the look the teen got from every single parental figure in the room, as soon as the realization hit them of exactly what had been involved in getting the cadet here, was just as obvious. El looked nervous under the gaze of so many, disappointed authority figures. She held up the tray of cookies in placation.

"Happy Holidays?" she asked sheepishly.

She got silence back in reply. Lena shook her head before leveling a finger towards the girl. "A month, young lady," she said sternly. "A month." Then she proceeded to gather her daughter up in a hug and plant a kiss squarely on her forehead.

Jeju was next. The blonde offered a somewhat less stern, "That was really reckless, little one" before squeezing the girl even tighter and adding in a rapid whisper, smile obvious, " _You're the best damn kid on the planet._ "

Despite questionable life choices, El was confident she would not face any further consequences that night, free to enjoy the party, and the welcome embrace of family, select members of which were quite impressed, if they did not make an overt show of it around her mothers. In the end, she had succeeded. Everyone she loved in one room together, at a time of the year that didn’t necessarily require it but certainly supported it. Food, family, fun. And soon enough…

“Hey look!” Astrid said, pointing out the window.

All eyes turned to the darkened, winter sky of National City to see that the very storm that had nearly prevented their full party from attending had broken, dropping gentle, white flakes onto the urban landscape below. Everyone made their way to the windows of the balcony to enjoy the view. El felt a hand wrap around her shoulder and turned to her grandmother. Eliza smiled with a look in her eyes.

El glanced at Astrid. She shrugged. “Small ways,” she whispered back.

“That was a little less small than you think,” Eliza replied but squeezed the girl anyway. “I guess you’ll be grounded for a while.”

El had to laugh. That turn of phrase had a slightly more literal meaning for her.

“Was it worth it?” her grandmother asked.

And as El glanced about the room, landing again on her cousin, standing between her moms, as she took in the warmth, in all its multi-dimensions, she knew she didn’t have to search for the answer to that question.

“Absolutely,” she replied. She’d do it a thousand times again.


	25. Research and Remembrances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El is perusing the CatCo digital archives and stumbles on a family secret literally decades in the making.  
> Get your kleenexes ready, because this one's going to be cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the direct sequel to Chapter 20 I've been meaning to write. Hope you like it!

El was bored.

It had made perfect sense, at the time, to pursue employment that would not be overly taxing on either her time or her mental, social, or emotional bandwidth. Granted, she had two mothers who were not the best at modeling proper work-life balance, but they had been supportive. And she was in her first year of college and had certain _extra-curricular_ activities, both of which certainly deserved the lion’s share of her time and attention. Still, there were moments like this that felt like a definite downside to her day job.

Being a research assistant for a major media company like CatCo usually involved a lot of tedious work researching and spellchecking various articles and news briefs, and, for anyone else, that might take up a good amount of time. Only El wasn’t anyone else and, while it had been a bit of an ego boost to impress her boss with how quickly and thoroughly she was able to handle the numerous and, sometimes, menial tasks she was assigned, being exceptionally efficient at her job was starting to drag.

Like now, for instance. Okay, yeah, it probably wasn’t the worst thing in the world, especially for a place like National City, that nothing overly catastrophic was going on. Slow news days weren’t great in media, but the real down side was for her other job. She never thought she’d be begging for a cat stuck up in a tree, but, at this point, El would take any excuse to throw on the cape. The criminal underworld, and stranded pets, however, seemed to be taking a holiday.

So, bereft of anything more enticing on her time, El was forced to while the hours perusing the CatCo digital archive, which was extensive and, for El, surprisingly educational. With a surname like Danvers-Luthor, it wasn’t exactly surprising that a lot of her family history was documented by a major media outlet. Only, that really wasn’t the half of it. The other half, the Danvers half, was equal parts in front and behind the headlines, though most people didn’t know that. CatCo and Supergirl, of course, had a long history, and this wasn’t the first time that El had taken a stroll down memory lane, especially where a certain blonde superhero was concerned.

Today, however, she was on a different line of inquiry. There was something she had had at the back of her mind, a mystery to look into, ever since she started with CatCo, and now seemed like as good a time as any to pursue it. Her Mom had mentioned something, offhand, a few months back about meeting the one and only Cat Grant at a party when she was even younger than El was now. Lena Luthor, naturally, had been acquainted with a number of very fascinating individuals over the years, (not the least, in Lena’s opinion, her wife), but there was something about this meeting that fascinated the young woman, and El couldn’t help but to want to figure out when and where it might have happened.

And what better place to look than in the archives of the very media empire Ms. Grant herself had been responsible for?

It would have been decades ago, but the CatCo archives were very well-maintained. A holdover, Jeju had once told her, from many years ago when they were managed by one Winn Schott. Thus, it was fairly easy to narrow down not only a timeframe but cross-reference that to Cat’s social calendar. Add to that El’s own stellar research ability, plus the fact that the other person she was pursuing was a Luthor and thus just as monitored and scheduled as Ms. Grant, and it wasn’t too long before she had it figured out.

It had been a Gala, some corporate event in Metropolis. Luthor, Thorne, Lord, all the big names had been there, and all the major media outlets, including the, then burgeoning, CatCo Magazine and, no surprise there, the Daily Planet. What was surprising, though, was who the Daily Planet had sent: two of their star reporters.

Uncle Clark had, naturally, changed very little in the intervening time. Aunt Lois was older now, grayer, but still the same fierceness in her eyes. El had to wonder what positive terror she must have been back in her prime. It must have been some party for these billionaire bigwigs, living it up, wheeling and dealing, only to turn around and come face-to-face with Lois Lane, recorder in hand, with some very pointed questions about that latest scandal they had spent so much money to keep quiet.

It was then that an idea occurred to El, one that meant elevating this little side research project to a more serious level, but she had come up against a wall. She could find plenty of photos of Ms. Grant, the woman knew how to present her good side, which seemed to be all of them, and there was rarely a photo that she didn’t seem ready for. Mom, however, was proving a challenge to find shots for. El knew she was there, but, other than a photo of her walking into the party, there was very little visual proof, only the occasional snippet or half-covered shot. Maybe it was some Luthor training, how to avoid being photographed courtesy of Lillian Luthor, or maybe it was something else, but El was feeling not a little disappointed.

She could never turn down shots of Tiny Mom, especially after their trip to MIT.

But if the Daily Planet was there that night, that meant there might be another archive she could look into, which might have a photograph. And, oh, if only she knew someone who worked at the Planet!

Thus, one very professionally-worded email later, and El had access to the Daily Planet archives courtesy of the current editor-in-chief, (aka Uncle James). Now that she had already figured out the date, it was a very simple matter to locate the photographs, published and unedited shots, from that night. Unfortunately, she wasn’t having much better luck, though she was starting to figure out why it was that Lena Luthor managed to never be in the center of the frame. She was all ready to pack it in, curiosity satisfied, when something caught her eye. Or someone.

It had been a glimpse, at first, in the background of a shot. It might have gone unnoticed had she not flipped to the next shot, the same focus but at a different angle, and seen it again. A bit of hair catching the light. Blonde hair. El ran quickly through other photographs until she at last found confirmation in the form of a face she very much recognized, behind glasses.

El’s life, of course, was anything but ordinary and had probably more than its fair share of surprising coincidences. But there was coincidence and then there was HOLY CRAP! This was decidedly the latter.

And just like that, her little research project had just become the most important thing in the world. It was a good thing there wasn’t any other work to do right now, Super or otherwise, because El would not have been able to drag her attention away for anything.

It took the rest of the afternoon, and a few more emails to a certain former Planet photographer, but El had her evidence and then some. What El had was nothing less than a revelation.

Naturally, she could hardly wait to share it.

* * *

“I’ve noticed you making a habit of this,” Lena commented as the elevator dinged up towards the penthouse.

Kara gave her a confused look. “A habit of what?”

“Riding the elevator,” her wife replied, motioning to the little box that rode them higher and higher. “You used to use the balcony to come home.”

Kara blushed. She was right, of course. There was a time when coming in through the front door was something she had done rarely. Maybe it was the fact that she didn’t have to don the cape quite so often these days, another Super in National City helping to carry the load, or maybe she was just getting old, late nights no longer feeling like a necessity at either of her jobs. Or…

“Maybe I just like coming home with you,” she said, wrapping an arm around the dark-haired woman and letting her eyes drift down to those lips she had always been so fond of.

“Well, you’ll get no arguments from me,” Lena replied before letting those lips find her wife’s.

The elevator dinged on their floor soon after, just in time for the pair to part breathlessly, never more thankful they had the whole top floor to themselves, and thus very little chance they’d be caught by anyone but family, who was quite used to finding them “in flagrante” as it were.

“By the way,” Lena asked as they walked, hand-in-hand, down the little hallway to their penthouse. “Did you also get a frantically worded, all caps message from our daughter this afternoon asking if we were both going to be free for the evening?”

“Yes, I did,” Kara replied. She cocked an eyebrow as they stepped to the door. “Any ideas what we should expect?”

Her wife could only chuckle. “Anything.”

Kara had to agree. Slowly, carefully, they opened the door to the apartment. Of all the things they might expect, and had encountered over the years, they certainly would hardly expect a completely empty but otherwise unchanged apartment.

Slowly, cautiously, they divested themselves of bags and coats, unsure if, at any moment, whatever their child had in store for the evening was going to pop out unexpectedly. Finally, it seemed clear they were alone, and both Kara and Lena went to change out of work clothes into something more comfortable.

“Do you think we should call her?” Lena asked as they stepped out of the bedroom. Kara seemed to agree, only for the object of their concern to alight onto the balcony at that very moment, a box clutched in one arm.

“Oh, that’s why I don’t use the balcony anymore,” the blonde said. “Too much traffic.”

El burst through the door, visibly excited. “Sorry!” she exclaimed. “Sorry I’m late. Got held up for a bit.”

“That’s fine, sweetie,” Lena replied. “But what warranted such frantic texts?”

Her daughter beamed brightly, practically shaking now from excitement. “I have a presentation.”

An eyebrow from each of her mothers reached towards the ceiling.

“A presentation?” Kara had to ask.

“Yeah, sit down,” the young woman insisted. “I got to set up.”

Wife and wife exchanged a questioning glance then stepped towards the couch with a shrug. El set the box in her arms down on the table. It was a flat gift box, simply wrapped with a silver bow.

“What’s that?” Lena asked.

“A present,” El replied.

That got another eyebrow raise. “What’s the occasion?” Mom wanted to know. “It’s not anyone’s birthday.”

“Call it an anniversary present.”

“Our anniversary is weeks away,” Kara felt the need to point out.

“An early anniversary present then,” her daughter replied. She motioned to the couch. “Sit! Sit!”

They complied while El pulled out her phone. With a few quick swipes, the TV came to life and projected a slide with the simple black-and-white title: Mystery Solved! Lena and Kara exchanged another glance, then just sighed. Par for the course with their darling daughter. They settled back to see what this might be.

“So,” El started excitedly with a clap of her hands. “I’ve been doing some research.”

“Research?” Jeju asked.

“What?” El said with a shrug. “It’s my job.”

“Research for CatCo,” the blonde corrected.

“Well, yeah, but I have a lot of free time.”

“Not a great thing to be saying to the woman who signs your checks,” the blonde further added with a bemused stare.

“Kara, you cannot fire El,” her wife cut in.

“Why not?”

“Because I said so.”

Kara gaped for a second. “But I’m the boss.”

Lena patted her knee lovingly. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“Anyway,” El said, bringing their attention back to the presentation. “Mom once told me that she met Cat Grant when she was a teenager.”

Lena nodded. “Yeah, at a party. Gosh, El, you really do listen to everything.”

“That I do.” El smiled. “Well I’ve been trying to figure out when and see if I could find any photographic evidence to that fact.”

“Okay, yeah,” Kara said with a nod. “I definitely need to get you more work to do.”

“I never could remember what party it was,” Lena commented. “God knows Lillian tramped me out to so many.”

“Well, I managed to narrow it down to a Metropolis Society Function when you were 16.”

Both women stared at their daughter in astonished silence.

“Wait a second, El,” Lena finally asked. “You found it?”

“Yep.” El beamed. “Surprisingly, it was the only one where both you and Ms. Grant were on the guest list.” El tapped her phone and the screen changed to a shot of a crowded ballroom, a banner hung in the background, announcing the charity gala, over wall-to-wall glass that opened on the stunning Metropolis skyline. Another click and the screen showed the receiving line in front of the building, paparazzi lining either side. A limousine was pulled up and a figure was striding out. It was hard to tell with the wave of flashes going off, but they very much looked like a teenage girl, dress designer, dark hair immaculate.

Lena’s head nodded with recognition. “Now, I remember. It was the year before I went to MIT, Lillian’s last real chance to show me off.”

“Do you remember the party?” Kara asked.

“I remember meeting Cat.” The dark-haired woman sighed. “I remember Lillian being overbearing, but that was all the time.”

Kara turned back to the presentation. “Did you find any pictures, little one?”

“I did,” El replied. She clicked through several crowd shots. “There were a couple of CatCo photographers there as well as some from the Daily Planet.”

“Why do I get the feeling I owe the editor in chief of the Daily Planet a favor?” Jeju grumbled.

“Anyhow,” El continued as the slides began to follow one after the other. “I managed to find a number of photos of Ms. Grant.”

The lady in question suddenly appeared, younger by several decades but just as commanding. Kara whistled.

“Golly, look at Cat.”

“Fierce as ever,” Lena agreed.

“As well as some other people who are not worth mentioning.”

The women grumbled in unison as a photo of Lillian appeared, looking sour as ever behind that fake smile.

“But, oddly enough,” El went on, quickly flipping past that photo. “I could not find any shots of Mom.”

“You’re sure she was there?” Kara asked.

“Oh, she definitely was,” El answered, clicking through several shots of the crowd, each with a partial or obscured view of one dark-haired teenager. “She just managed to not get her picture taken.”

“How’d you pull that off, Lena?” Kara shook her head in wonder.

The dark-haired woman could only shrug at first, until the next shot appeared. It was of Cat posing for the photo, and just behind her, barely visible by an arm and part of her hair…

“There I am,” Lena pointed. She gasped. “Oh, now I remember. Every time there was a camera, Cat always stood in the way. At first I thought she was hogging the attention, until I realized she was blocking them from me.”

“Of course,” Kara exclaimed. “Cat would never let some gossip column snap a photo of a sixteen-year-old. Not ever her own.”

El nodded. “Classy, as always, Ms. Grant.” She flipped to another shot of the woman, a barely-visible girl just behind her. “Still, I was pretty disappointed. I was kind of hoping to get a picture of Tiny Mom.”

“Oh, Ellie,” Lena groaned. “Not the collage again.”

“But!” El soldiered right past that comment. “In my search, I did manage to find something else, or, I should say, someone else.”

The slide changed again, this time to a shot of two fairly well-dressed individuals. A brunette who very much looked ready to take on the world and what seemed to be a long-suffering, slightly hunched man beside her, surprisingly built under that sport coat, and glasses.

“Clark?!” Kara shouted.

“And Lois!” Lena exclaimed beside her. “They were there?”

El nodded. “Yep. Representing the Planet.”

“Well, how about that?” Kara said, shaking her head. “Small world.”

“Oh, Jeju,” El said. “It gets smaller.”

She clicked to the next slide. Lois and Clark were in this one as well, engaged in conversation with an individual who seemed like they might prefer to do anything else than be grilled by Lois Lane, and, behind them, just a few paces away, a young woman, looking rather sheepish, cup raised to her lips. A blonde girl. Wearing glasses.

Kara stammered, dumbfounded. “Is… Is that…?”

“Oh my god,” Lena said.

“It’s Tiny Jeju!” El shouted and pointed excitedly at the photo.

“Kara, you were at that party?” Mom said, spinning to her wife in utter astonishment.

The blonde could only stare at her younger self. Finally, slowly, she nodded, as memory came back to her. “Yeah,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “Oh, I never realized it was that party.” She motioned to the screen. “I was visiting Clark, and they had a last minute assignment Perry put them on, so he had to bring me along. I remember I was so excited. Lois took me shopping for a dress. I can’t believe it. I was at the same party as Ms. Grant all those years ago.”

“Kara,” Lena said and watched her wife turn to her. “You were at the same party as me.”

The blonde’s grew to saucers. Her jaw hit the floor. “Oh Rao! I was at the same party as you!” She spun to the screen, then back to the woman sitting beside, back and forth and back and forth, until she stopped, and the astonishment suddenly drained from her face. “Oh wow, now I feel terrible.”

“Kara,” Lena soothed.

“No, we could have met. Can you imagine? Teenage you and teenage me?”

“Oh, Kara,” Lena chided gently. “You really shouldn’t feel bad. Even if that party hadn’t been packed, I doubt we would have run into each other. Lillian was on my back nearly the whole night. I only got a reprieve when Cat was watching me.”

“But she didn’t watch you the whole time, did she?”

Both of the women spun their daughter.

“What was that, El?” Mom asked.

“You didn’t stay at the party the whole night.” The young woman said.

“Of course I did,” Lena replied, matter-of-factly. “Lillian wouldn’t have let me leave. Except…” And that confidence seemed to drain as she stared at the screen.

Kara looked at her, worried. “Lena?”

“She’s right,” the dark-haired woman finally answered. “I didn’t stay at the party. Yes, Cat had to talk to someone and she pointed out a side door to me. I snuck away.”

“Well that’s funny,” Kara added.

“And why would that be, Jeju?” El asked knowingly. 

“Well I snuck out too.”

Lena was astonished. “You did?”

“Yeah. I was so excited to go and then I got there I was so worried about doing something wrong.” Kara sighed and fidgeted with her hands. The memory seemed to morph her back to her younger self. “I didn’t have Alex with me. I thought I’d mess up, show my powers, or something. So I ended up grabbing a bunch of snacks and spent the rest of the night on a balcony alone looking at the city.”

“Except you weren’t alone, were you?”

Kara’s head spun to her daughter again. “What?”

“You weren’t alone on that balcony.”

“Now El how could you possibly know that?” Lena said.

“That’s not important,” the young woman replied, eyes trained on her Jeju. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

Slowly, Kara nodded, too dumfounded to say anything but, “Yes.”

“And Mom snuck out to a balcony, too, didn’t you?” El asked, turning to the dark-haired woman, who was starting to look just as astonished.

“I did. My goodness, I did and I…” And Lena Luthor was speechless as a memory decades old, buried yet not forgotten, returned, like an old friend. Like the first friend she’d ever made. She turned green eyes, tinged with tears, to the blue ones sitting beside her.

“Lena?” Kara whispered.

“I met someone,” she said. “A girl about my age.”

“Lena?” Kara repeated, almost fearful now of the answer.

The dark-haired woman shook her head. “It’s not possible.”

“Lena?” Kara asked again, voice nearly gone.

“She was eating potstickers.”

Green eyes stared at blue. The same blue, she now knew. A blue she had forgotten that she had memorized. A blue she had lost and yet, somehow, miraculously, one that had come back to her. A blue that stared at her in awed silence.

“Kara? Please say something.”

“You wouldn’t tell me your name,” the blonde said with a sniffle.

Lena blinked back tears. She sighed. “I wanted to. Oh god, I wanted to. But I was so afraid. I was afraid you wouldn’t want to be my friend.”

“I wanted to!” The blonde insisted now. “I would’ve been. I would’ve been your friend in a heart beat.”

“Kara, I was a Luthor. Your cousin was Superman.”

“That wouldn’t have mattered!” Kara nearly rose from the couch. She reached out to grasp her wife’s hands. “Lena, I shared my potstickers with you. I don’t share potstickers with anyone.”

The dark-haired laughed. “You don’t.”

“That was the first time I had them,” the blonde Kryptonian went on. "Did you know that? Half of the reason I love them is I always remembered that first night, standing on that balcony, sharing them with a girl I wanted so badly to like me.”

“Oh Kara, I liked you so much. You were the realest person I’d ever met.”

So real, though remembered like a dream for many years. A chance meeting. Something so beautifully simple that you might one day convince yourself you’d imagined it. Something that they had known couldn’t last and yet now they could see had been going on this whole time. A life time. Together.

Kara traced that cheek that she had wanted to touch since that first night, so grateful now that the wish she had no words for at the time had been fulfilled. Her hand wound through her wife’s dark tresses and pulled her close. They kissed like teenagers, like they had always wanted to, like they had in all the years since, like they never had before. They held each other and thanked everything there was worth thanking in the universe that they had found each other, over and over again.

“There’s more,” El said, when at last they were done, though still held tightly in each other’s arms.

The women’s heads spun again.

“More?” Lena had to ask. “How could there be more than that?”

El didn’t answer, though, only smiled and clicked to the next slide, another shot of the ballroom. “The Daily Planet sent to of their best reporters and several photographers to cover the event. Among them was an intern just cutting his teeth on the city beat, one Jimmy Olsen.”

Kara slapped her knee. “James was not at that party!”

“No,” El said with a shake of her head. “He was downstairs shooting b-roll. But, even at that young age, our Mr. Olson fancied himself something of an artist. Not content with throwaway shots of people getting in and out of their limos, he had the brilliant idea that what the story really could use was a photo of the part from across the street. So, he snuck into one of the offices in the opposite building and snapped several pictures, including this one.”

The screen changed again, swiping to another slide, a well-framed, nearly beautiful shot of the party from outside, looking into the glass and the gala in full swing. It was quite good, showing already the promise of a future award-winning photographer. Both women stared at it, wondering, each of them, where they might be in that picture. Eventually, their eyes caught their daughter, who seemed to be drawing them to the far side of the photo, almost off the edge. It was a balcony, dimly lit against the bright lights of the party. It was small, but, if you squinted, you could almost imagine you saw too people standing there. 

Lena and Kara stared in silence. Until, at last, they looked up to their daughter, holding the gift box in her hands.

“Lucky for us,” she said. “Uncle James never deletes anything.”

She held the box out. Slowly, her mothers stood. Lena reached out to grasp. Pulling it back, she exchanged a glance with her wife, before slowly removing the wrapping. Her fingers at last found purchase on the lid and removed it. What she saw caught her so off-guard, she gasped and nearly dropped the box. Swift, Kryptonian reflexes caught it instantly. And Kara held it there while they both stared in complete shock.

It was a photograph, in a simple frame, a blown-up shot of the photo on the screen. It showed the little balcony. And two girls, side-by-side, leaning against the railing. One dark-haired, smiling. One blonde, face caught mid-laugh. They stared out at the city, the lights of Metropolis reflected in their eyes. And though each woman could now recall the thoughts that flitted through their minds, the weight each of them were carrying in that moment, they knew, without a shadow of a doubt, they looked happy. They looked like they didn’t have a care in the world.

“Kara,” Lena gasped, tears now coming in force. “It’s us.”

The blonde nodded, wiping her own damp cheek. She nodded. “It’s us.”

And as much as they could have stared at it for the rest of their lives, both of them couldn’t help but look at the one who had given it to them, who had made this revelation possible. El smiled quietly. She motioned to the photo.

“I call it, ‘First Date’,” she said.

“Come here,” Lena said. “You beautiful, beautiful girl.”

They quickly wrapped their daughter up in the deepest, warmest hug. Wet, tender kisses her pressed to her brow as her mothers could not find the words to convey the depth of their gratitude, of their joy. Finally, they pulled back; Jeju cupped El’s cheeks and stared into those green eyes.

“Turns out I’ve known your mother more than half of my life,” she said.

El nodded with a smile, tears lining her own eyes. Blue eyes stared solidly back at her.

“Nothing we have ever done or will ever do will ever be more amazing than you.”

El sniffed, then nodded. Mom hugged her again. “Nothing,” she repeated. “Nothing. Nothing. We love you so much, Ellie baby.”

“I love you, too,” she replied.

With more kisses and more hugs, they eventually found themselves on the couch, wrapped up in their warmth of each other. El showed them some more photos she had found of the evening, and each woman began to piece together what they now recalled from the evening. They cooed over Lois and Clark and Ms. Grant, but always they came back to the little photo, to the two young girls with a whole universe of possibility before them, who would part the night not a little sad to be robbed of what felt like could have been an amazing friendship. But they shed only tears of joy because now they knew.

They came back to each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for the kudos and comments!  
> Let's hang out on social media  
> Twitter: @douglas_amongus  
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